Our Bond
by shadowcat012
Summary: The world is tied together by bonds. They can be as simple as the person you buy your coffee from or the one who stole your wallet in the sixth grade. Or as deep as between friends and loved ones. These are the ones you must protect at all costs.
1. Transferred

The world is held together by bonds.

From a mutual agreement between a tree and a bird, to the fierceness of a mountain lioness for her cub.

Humans share a bond with a person they've talked to, passed by, maybe even stole from.

Bonds between brothers, sisters, lovers, fathers, sons, mothers and daughters have been known as a most sacred.

Those bonds we must protect at all cost.

**Chapter One: Transferred**

Spenser Academy, a prestige private school that only the best can attend. The best or the rich. Evelyn Cortez was one of the few struggling to stay as part of the best. If someone had recently caught her between classes and her dorm room, all they would receive was a small polite smile as a hello and a nod of the head as a 'see you later.' Of course, that's what she would do if anyone tried.

Evelyn strolled down the hallway, making her way to her first class of the day. English Literature. Going over last night's homework in her head, she nearly walked right passed the classroom door if it hadn't been for an arm stretching out and pulling her inside. Instinctively pulling away from the grip that held her, she looked up to see who had pulled her in.

"Good morning, sunshine." Her roommate, Alexis smiled brightly in greeting. Alexis was a slender girl, blessed with palm olive skin and beautiful silky brown hair that at the moment was pulled back into what barely qualified as a bun. Even though she was brilliant and beautiful, her coordination with picking up hair was, well, sloppy.

"Morning," Evelyn breathed with a smile, embarrassed at having been startled.

"You okay?" Alexis tilted her head to the side as her sparkling blue eyes studied her. "I tried waking you up this morning, but you wouldn't have it."

Oh yeah. Evelyn remembered telling someone to go away that morning. Must've been Alexis.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just wasn't ready to get up." Evelyn dodged before leading up the stairs to their seats.

As Evelyn dropped into the blue stiff cushion, the teacher, Professor Jordan walked into the room, closing the door behind him. And so the lecture began.

Alexis pulled out her notes from the lecture the day before as Evelyn pulled out a small blue notebook. Once in awhile, when the teacher wasn't looking, she would scribble a little something in the notebook that had absolutely nothing to do with class, but with what ever popped into her head. Before long, she had a page filled with quotes, lyrics, doodles, and numbers.

Evelyn sighed as she leaned back in her seat. It seemed that today was just a review day for the test Monday. If she was lucky, maybe the rest of her classes would be like this too. Today was after all, a Friday. Not even she was crazy enough to feel like doing work on a FRIDAY.

"Cortez." The drone of Professor Jordan's voice met Evelyn's ears, causing her eyes to snap up to the front of the class room. "The headmaster would like a word with you." He said dismissively, waving a small square paper in his hand absently before continuing on with whatever he was going over. Evelyn glanced at Alexis, who merely shrugged.

Biting the inside of her cheek, Evelyn gathered her things and stepped down the aisle, making her way to the door.

Why would the headmaster want to talk to her? She hadn't done anything worth mentioning to anyone that she knew of. Maybe by some chance of luck, she had earned a free day? No Classes? Yeah. Like they allowed that sort of thing. She couldn't pull that off at her old public school, what were the chances of it happening here? Z.E.R.O.

Reaching the headmaster's door, she hesitantly knocked. When she heard the gruff noise of an 'enter' from the other side, she slowly turned the knob and peered through. The headmaster sat behind his wooden desk, with papers seemingly scattered all around. It almost looked as if he were one of the students at the library stressing over calculus. Which reminded her, she had calculus homework due that day. She knew she'd forgotten something the night before. She mentally cursed her scatter-brained self. There was another girl seated across from him, with a duffel bag at her feet. Short brown hair obscured her face, though, so Evelyn couldn't tell who she was.

"Ah, Evelyn. Have a seat, won't you." He indicated the green pleather seat directly before his desk. That's when the girl looked over, flipping the hair out from her face and locking gazes with Evelyn. Evelyn's jaw dropped as she froze mid-step.

"Josie?" She blurted for lack of any other thought.

The smaller girl smirked. "What's up?"

Evelyn sat down and looked back and forth between the headmaster and her cousin. "What are you doing here?" She questioned, her eyes roaming over Josie's appearance. She looked fine. Actually, she looked different; dressed in a pink button up blouse and a black jacket, with wavy hair, probably from the rain outside, she looked grown up. It was disturbing in a way.

"Ms Cortez, you're cousin here, Ms Gellar has just transferred to Spencer." The headmaster informed.

Evelyn's eyes widened as excitement began to well up inside her. "Really?"

"Yup." Josie nodded.

"Since she missed the entrance program last week, I'm handing her over to you to give her a tour. Answer any and all of her questions and make sure she gets settled in. You will be missing the rest of your classes for the day, but you'll still have your assignments to do over the weekend, understood?" His eyes pierced straight through her, daring her to object to the work, but she didn't really care. She understood and it wasn't as if she was considering not doing it.

She nodded her head in agreement. The headmaster then turned to Josie and stood up to shake her hand. Both girls stood up as well. Josie took the offered hand.

"Welcome to Spencer Ms Gellar."

Josie smiled politely. "Thank you sir."

--

"What the hell! What gives?" Evelyn exclaimed once they were a good distance away from the headmaster's office. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming? And why _did_ you come? You told me you hated private schools, that all they do is stick a ruler up your ass."

"Yeah. I see they've stuck one up yours."

Evelyn frowned which made Josie chuckle and shrug.

"You left me alone back there. Did you really expect me to survive my family to graduation?"

Evelyn thought it over. "I guess not." As they walked, they passed a glass window which Evelyn pointed out led to a court yard. They walked in silence for a few minutes when Evelyn spoke up, "You're wearing pink. That's a big change."

Josie's eyes widened. "Shit! I forgot about that! Quick-help me take it off!"

"We're in the middle of the hallway!" Evelyn looked around to check if anyone was walking their way.

"I don't care." Josie snapped as she continued to shrug out of her jacket. "Here, hold my bag." She threw her duffel bag which Evelyn caught before it hit her square in the face.

"Josie, stop." Evelyn sighed, dropping the bag to her side.

Josie pulled her arm out of the black jacket before tossing it at Evelyn as well. She unbuttoned the pink blouse, revealing a green t-shirt underneath, slipped it off and balled it up.

"My mom made me wear it. She wanted to make sure I was '_dressed properly_' for the school's headmaster. Freaking lame." Evelyn held out the duffel bag so that Josie could unzip the side and shove the shirt in.

"You done now?" Evelyn questioned with a bored expression.

Josie shrugged back into her jacket and slung the duffel bag around her shoulder. "Yup."

Being the middle child of three, Josie became an individual who spoke her mind and couldn't care less about what strangers thought about her. Having few friends that she trusted and a family she felt strongly independent from already, Josie was looking toward a smooth transition from a dull life in Texas to a new life in Massachusetts. Her cousin already attending Spenser was both a cover and a bonus for Josie tagging along.

Josie inspected her new room and realized it was shared with a girl who obviously had school spirit...and a boyfriend.

"Ah." Josie kicked a piece of clothing away from her with her foot and crinkled her nose. "I think my roommate wears briefs."

Evelyn hid a smirk by ducking her head. "Yeah. Either that or your roommate is _very_ outgoing."

"Shit. Are you roomed with anyone?" Josie asked hopefully.

"Er. Yeah. Alexis."

Josie's shoulders slumped. "Damn it." She cursed under her breath. She dropped her duffel bag on the unoccupied bed and looked out the window. She'd forgotten about the warmingly bright girl Evelyn had once written about in an email.

"Come on." Evelyn clapped and rubbed her hands together to shake the mood. "I'll show you where you're classes are."

--

As the two walked down the gloomy, silent hall, Josie felt a bubbling thrill in her gut. Unable to contain her enthusiasm, she broke into a silly grin and bounced on her toes. "Oh my God; it's like: so dark and spooky, and old! I love it!"

"Keh. Yeah." Evelyn agreed with less enthusiasm.

"Hey," Josie jumped up to land beside Evelyn and put a hand on her shoulder. "Which jail cell is my first class?"

"Um…" Evelyn trailed her finger along the wall as they walked before reaching a door and stopping. "This one. This one?" She consulted Josie's schedule which had been printed out on paper and turned back to the door. "Yup, this one: Mr. Brenamen's class."

Josie stepped up to the door and peered through the small glass window to study the room and maybe catch a glance of the teacher. The teacher was a lost cause seeing as he insisted on standing by the chalk board that remained out of the door's view, so she resigned herself to study the students.

"They look pretty bored." She muttered, her eyes scanning the different lazy bodies. "Look, that guy's asleep! Dude, this class is going to be easy."

Evelyn raised her eyebrows and tried to peer through the window as well. "Who's asleep?" She demanded.

"That blond one at the top." Josie stepped aside to let Evelyn have a clear look.

Evelyn's eyes roamed the top row of seats, looking for a blond head. It irked her that others had it so easy to actually be able to sleep in class while nerves of missing something kept her awake even if she was sleep deprived.

It wasn't in the top row, but the third row from the top. There was a head face down on the desk with blond hair cascading over the arms that created a nest for the snoozing teen. Suddenly there was an annoyed pair of eyes staring back at her through small spectacles.

Evelyn jumped away from the glass and cursed out loud. She pushed Josie and hurried away from the door.

"What are you doing?" Josie snapped, trying to draw away from Evelyn's pushing hands.

"The teacher is at the door, damn it, now move!" Evelyn whispered fiercely. The two then took off at a sprint down the hall.

--

"Okay, I've shown you everywhere you need to know, the rest you'll learn eventually. And it is now…" Evelyn glanced at her watch, but just as she did, the final bell of the day rang. "…Time for me to go to sleep."

Classroom doors opened and students began to leave them in a swarm of conversations and laughter.

It didn't keep Josie from being skeptical, however.

"Wow, you lead a glamorous life." She remarked sarcastically.

Evelyn grimaced and sidestepped when people began to walk between them, but didn't take Josie's remark to heart. "It's been a long week for me. Besides, a day with you is enough to leave _anyone_ exhausted." Evelyn began to turn back to her dorm room.

Josie furrowed her eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?" She demanded.

Evelyn stopped and turned back to Josie, searching for the right words. "I don't know. I'm tired, I'm blabbering. This is why I need to sleep. You know where to find me if you need me." She turned to walk away again, but stopped to look over her shoulder.

Josie stood frozen on the spot, unsure of what to do; at least that's how it looked to Evelyn. "Come. Meet my roommate, hang out for a bit. Whatever you want." She lazily invited.

Josie considered the offer, but scrunched up her nose and shook her head. "No thanks. I have to go meet my 'roommate.' Plus, if I hang out too much with just you, I'll look like a retard."

Evelyn smirked. "As if you don't look like one already," She called over her shoulder.

Walking back to her dorm room, Evelyn hoped that Alexis would be out doing _something_ so that she could just go in, fall onto the matress, and let the world of darkness and dreams consume her. The door was locked. Evelyn looked up in praise after unlocking the door to let herself in. As soon as her body sank into the covers and her face buried into the cotton plush pillow, there was a knock on the door.

"Oh, for the love of-!" Her muffled voice growled into the pillow. "WHAT?" She called out, not caring to cover her frustration.

There was hesitation from the other side which only resulted in Evelyn groaning. If she had hurt another person's feelings, the guilt would hang over her literally for the rest of her life. There was still an incident in kindergarten that she couldn't forgive herself for, and that was because she had spit out coke on another kid when someone had tickled her from behind.

Evelyn pulled open the door and froze when she saw who had knocked on the other side. Aaron Abbott stood with his hands in his pockets, looking down at Evelyn as if she were crazy. His idiotic stare just fed to her annoyance.

"What do you want, Aaron?" She questioned, leaning her head against the door which she held close, ready to slam it in his face if she needed.

"Where's the other one?" He questioned, looking over Evelyn's shoulder and into the room.

Evelyn bit her lip. "She's obviously not here. Wanna leave a message?" She offered without much hope.

"No." Without a glance toward the one he was actually talking to, he turned and left.

"'Thanks anyway though.' 'No problem.' Jerk." Evelyn grumbled as she closed the door and turned back to her sanctuary. She couldn't exactly sleep anymore thanks to Abbott, who had previously throughout the year tried to get Alexis into bed with him. He really was a prick. The only reason he wanted Alexis so bad was because she was too good for him and she always refused to go anywhere with him. And what kept Abbott's face from meeting Evelyn's fist was Alex's plea that Evelyn didn't do anything to get into trouble. Punching another person constituted as trouble, unfortunately.

With her hope of sleeping gone, Evelyn walked over to her desk and pulled out her history notes and assignments. "So history, we meet again. What horrors will you reveal tonight that are being repeated today?" She sat down in the desk chair and leaned over the work, prepared to start.

--

Josie made it back to her dorm with a sigh of relief. There had been a part of her that believed she would've gotten lost on the way back. She reached for the door knob but hesitated when she heard a murmur from inside. Her roommate was back from her classes.

'Well duh. The school day is over.' She mentally berated herself. 'Man. PLEASE don't let it be a girly-girl, that's all I ask.'

She slowly turned the knob and opened the door. On the bed across from Josie, sat a lone girl still in her school uniform. She had earphones plugged into her head and a book in her lap. Long black hair was pulled back into a clip and a pencil dangled from her lips. Green eyes glanced up and immediately studied Josie curiously. Slowly, a tanned hand reached up and pulled out the earphones.

"Er..Hi." Josie greeted uneasily. "My name's Josie. I just transferred and..."

"You're the new student, then." A soft voice came from the girl. "Well then..." She put the book aside, flipped her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. "My name is Amanda, and, um...well this is pretty much our room."

Josie bit her lip and nodded silently.

Amanda nervously scratched her arm. "Were you already shown around the campus?"

"Mm-hm." Josie nodded again.

"Okay..." Amanda's voice slowly died. It was silent for a moment before Amanda became excited with another question. "Are you interested in sports? Spenser has so many great teams and I know they're always looking for new blood."

Josie raised her eyebrows at the term 'new blood.' "Why? Are they vampires?" She questioned.

Amanda laughed quietly. "No. I wish they were though."

Josie then smiled. "All right. I have a roommate whose into vampires."

Amanda smiled sheepishly.

There was a bang on the door which startled both girls. Amanda sighed, pulled the clip from her hair letting her long tresses fall down her back, and went to the door to pull it open. There were a couple of guys crowding the door; Josie took a curious step forward, but still remained out of sight.

"Come on babe, are you in or out?" Josie heard one of them ask.

Amanda sighed and leaned her head against the door frame. "Fine. But I have a new roommate so she'll be coming with me."

"New blood? Seriously?" Another voice piped up. Josie tensed. The second time hearing that just made the phrase annoying. Was everyone into vampires or something?

Amanda closed the door and turned back to Josie. "Wanna go to a party?" She asked.

"Well you already said I was going." Josie replied with a bit of an edge. She hated being signed up for something without her consent. It bugged the hell out of her.

Amanda simply went to her closet and began to unbutton her shirt. "Well, yeah. I didn't want you wanting to come and then I didn't have their permission. If I say you're coming and you want to back out, it'll be a lot simpler, you understand?"

Josie remained quiet, trying to asses the girl's reasoning. "If you don't want me there, then just say so." Josie finally concluded.

Her eyes snapped to Amanda, only to see that she was changing out of her school uniform. "Oh, son-of-a-!" She quickly shut her eyes and turned away.

"I never said that." Amanda continued obliviously. "I meant…"

"Yeah, whatever;" Josie snapped, uncomfortable with the situation. "Where are you going?"

"Nicky's. There's going to be a get together to celebrate one of our classmates being released from the hospital."

Josie furrowed her eyebrows. "What were they in the hospital for?"

"Motorcycle accident." Amanda replied breezily.

Confusion swept over Josie as to how she could say that so easily. She was about to ask more about what had happened when she felt Amanda standing right beside her.

"What are you looking at?" Amanda questioned. To Josie's relief, she was now fully dressed.

"Nothing. Yeah, I guess I'll go, even though I don't know anybody…" Just then a thought occurred to her. "Hey, do you know Evelyn?"

--

A/N: The guys aren't there yet, but they will be in the next one, I promise.


	2. Of A Bar and A Bedroom

_Special thanks to those who reviewed the first chapter: RubyFresh, charley07, guardian music angel, and manthaS115_

**Chapter Two: Of A Bar & A Bedroom**

Evelyn couldn't believe how out of place she felt. A crowded bar in the center, pool tables in the back, wooden lunch tables to the right, a dance floor on the side, and games in random places. Everywhere she looked; people were talking, laughing, playing, drinking, or dancing.

She had given in to Josie's invitation only because it was her first night in town and didn't know anyone; but now Evelyn felt she should have stood her ground longer. Nicky's, the local bar, was definitely not a first choice place she would choose to go.

Josie sat next to her in a dark table at the corner back, just watching everything and everyone.

"There are so many people." The hooded teen stated in wonder. Not feeling comfortable in the environment quite yet, Josie had opted to keep her maroon jacket on and the hood over her head to feel more at ease.

Evelyn dropped her head back, letting her hair free fall back over the seat. "It's a Friday night at a _bar_, Jos. Did you think it was just going to be people from school?"

"I didn't really think about it." She replied sourly.

There was a sudden cheer throughout the bar, filled with applause and whistles. Both girls searched for the source in curiosity.

"Hey!" Amanda landed in front of them, seemingly from nowhere. "Come on! They're here!" She grabbed Josie's arm and jerked her to her feet. Josie immediately reached back and caught onto the sleeve of Evelyn's jacket. Amanda led them both through the crowd.

"Smart one, Jos." Evelyn grunted in annoyance. "If we lose out table, I'm blaming you."

"Blame me for everything tonight." Josie grunted back as she had to squeeze between a couple. "You're not leaving my side."

Evelyn almost tripped as it was her turn to interrupt the couple.

With a final jerk, Amanda was able to pull Josie through the crowd. Evelyn remained silent and a part of the background as Amanda began to talk. If it weren't for Josie still holding tightly to the sleeve of her jacket, she would've fully disappeared.

"Hey Pogue. It's great to see you out of the hospital." Amanda greeted. Josie's eyes wondered over the group she was addressing, wondering which unlucky person was Pogue.

"Thanks Amanda. It's great to see you too." The buff one at the corner of the table was the one to reply. Josie's eyes widened. He did NOT look like he had been in a motorcycle accident.

"I'd like you guys to meet my new roommate. She just transferred in today." Amanda nudged Josie forward, but she stayed rooted to the spot. One: she didn't like being pushed around. Two: she thought she was only going to greet one person, not a whole table of freaking beautiful people.

They were a table of four. Two were obviously a couple: the guy Pogue and a chick in a biker jacket with long straight dark brown hair. The other two: a serious looking tall-dark-and-handsome guy, and a sickeningly sweet looking blonde who seemed to be wearing a sundress.

Josie gave a short wave and a nervous; closed smile.

"A new girl, huh?" Pogue spoke, leaning back in his chair and looking across the table to the blonde. "Sorry, Sarah, but it looks like someone else has taken your position as new girl at Spenser."

The blonde, Sarah, smiled as the guy next to her laughed and placed his arm around her shoulders.

Evelyn sighed as she turned away, her arm still in Josie's grip. She watched the people pass her by and soon became bored. Suddenly, there was a rough pull on her sleeve which caused her to turn back around.

People were staring at her. Josie, her roommate, and those people from school were _all_ looking at her.

Josie turned back to Amanda. "I think we're just going to go back…"

"Why don't you girls sit down? We're going to get something to eat right now." One of the guys offered. Evelyn recognized him to be Caleb…something. Denvers? Danvers?

Both guys stood up, kissing their girls on the cheek. Evelyn caught Pogue glance at Josie as he passed and stayed motionless as he passed by.

"Hi." The blonde gave a friendly smile. "I'm Sarah. This is Kate. You can sit down." Sarah referred to the now empty seats.

Josie looked to Evelyn whom merely shrugged in reply.

Sarah watched the exchange and caught on to their awkwardness. "I promise you, we don't bite."

"Not unless you give us reason to." Kate muttered with her arms crossed and her gaze fixated on the wall in front of her.

Josie hesitated in her movement to take a seat, but Evelyn just nudged her forward as she took a seat as her own.

"You guys can just chill, I'm going to talk to other people." Amanda gave a short smile before turning and walking off.

Once she disappeared, Kate uncrossed her arms and looked around the table. "Are you both new?" She questioned Josie and Evelyn.

Both shook their head. "She's the new one." Evelyn jabbed her thumb in Josie's direction.

"Okay," Kate scooted up in her chair and leaned into the table. "First thing: you're roommate, total slut."

"Kate!" Sarah gasped in surprise.

Josie raised her eyebrows and Evelyn immediately backed away from the table top and leaned back in her chair. So Kate was a gossip type it seemed, man where the hell was an exit when you need one?

Kate ignored both Sarah's reaction and Evelyn's ignorance and kept her gaze on Josie. "I'm serious. I wouldn't be saying it if it weren't true." She defended.

Josie remained still, her blank eyes holding gaze with Kate's; before shrugging. "Okay."

Kate hesitated before leaning back and glancing at Sarah.

The night drew on. Soon Evelyn grew tired of just sitting around, and searched the bar for something to do.

"Hey," Josie leaned over and mumbled to Evelyn. "Can we just go? I'm not feeling it here."

Evelyn opened her mouth to answer but stopped when music began to play loudly. She nodded her head instead and moved to stand up.

"I'm going to get Caleb. Maybe he'll want to dance." Sarah exclaimed, rising to her feet and disappearing in the crowd of moving bodies.

Evelyn watched her go with a laughable expression. "We're going to head out." She said to Kate. "We'll see you around."

Kate nodded and waved goodbye before her eyes scanned the dance floor for her blond friend.

Just as she stepped out the door, Josie realized that their ride was missing. She turned to her cousin, who nearly bumped into her.

"What?" Evelyn questioned.

"Hello, we came with Amanda. Unless you plan to sprout wings and fly us back, which by the way, would be SO cool; we kinda need her." Josie remarked.

Evelyn sighed. "Fine. Go wait by her truck, I'll get her."

"You're going to leave my out here by myself?"

"Well, yeah." Evelyn replied over her shoulder.

Josie's jaw dropped. "Wha-but I could get raped by myself."

"Jos, if you can keep your hands off yourself, then so can everyone else."

"…Well damn, I'm screwed." The teen grumbled, shoving her hands inside her pockets.

Evelyn scoffed and continued back inside the bar. The loud music was still playing and after having stepped outside, she realized that the bar was pleasantly warmer.

"Okay…" Evelyn mumbled under her breath as she looked around. "Where are you…."

She caught sight of Sarah and Caleb on the dance floor and couldn't help but smirk. Sarah walked circles around him before he caught her by the waist, dipper her, then spun her around so that the skirt of her dress waved in the air. They obviously knew how to dance.

Moving on; she needed to find that Amanda chick. She looked toward the pool tables through the smoke and caught a glimpse of a female body amongst males. Going out on a whim, Evelyn decided to head towards the back. Squeezing past a waitress and a man sitting at the bar, Evelyn heard laughter that she was willing to bet was Amanda's. As soon as she reached the pool tables, however, she felt like turning back around. Freaking Abbott was there. 'Jeez, this is going to suck.'

Evelyn silently slipped past Aaron, who was at the moment distracted and stepped up behind Amanda who was whispering to another guy holding a pool cue. The both of them were intently watching someone preparing to make a shot.

The tip of the cue hit the white ball, creating a chain of reactions that soon led to only one ball left on the table. Amanda whooped in excitement while the guy next to her clapped the winner on the back.

Evelyn saw Abbott's fists clench around his own shooting cue and noticed that his fingers were wringing the smooth surface. Deciding to ignore the sore loser's anger, Evelyn nudged Amanda in the arm.

Amanda turned, her face falling for a moment in confusion before recognition hit her and her smile returned. "Hey, Evelyn! Did you see that?"

"Er, yeah, it was a nice shot." Evelyn commended, not really interested in the game.

"Why do you keep playing him, man?" A voice spoke to Aaron, distracting Evelyn for a moment. "You're never going to beat him."

"Shut up!" Aaron snapped.

"Josie and I are ready to leave and…"

"Oh yeah-Josie!" Amanda exclaimed. "Where is she?"

"She's outside…"

"Was that an amazing shot or what?" A body came between Evelyn and Amanda, dropping an arm around Amanda's shoulders and leaning against another pool table next to her. "I should reward myself. Better yet, _you_ should reward me." He cocked his head to the side suggestively.

'What the hell, man? Conversation here, we're having.' Evelyn mentally snapped.

"Reid, this is Evelyn. She's my new roommate's cousin." Amanda introduced, surprisingly she remembered introductions.

The beanie-topped Reid turned his head in Evelyn's direction for a lazy moment before nodding his head in acknowledgment. He snapped his eyes back to Amanda in a mock seriousness. "You have a roommate now, so we can't stay at your room tonight. Tyler!" He called out.

"What?" The guy Amanda had been standing next to responded from right behind Evelyn, causing her to tense.

"You're sleeping outside tonight; in your car or whatever. The room's mine." Reid informed, not caring for the other's reaction.

"Hey!"

'Oh my God.' Evelyn rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. 'Can we just go!'

Aaron was the one who had called out and he sounded pissed off.

"Amanda, can we go already?" Evelyn bit out, annoyed that she wasn't getting anywhere. She had a feeling an argument was about to break out and she didn't feel like being there for it.

"What's the rush?" Amanda inquired, sounding genuinely curious which served to aggravate Evelyn more.

"You!" Aaron was right beside Evelyn now. She felt anger radiating off of him and dropped her head, knowing that her attempts at leaving were going to take longer in becoming successful.

--

Sitting on the hood of Amanda's blue pick up truck, Josie stared up through over hanging branches to the stars above. She was there for about two seconds before becoming bored. She could hear the blasting music from inside and wished she could listen to some of her own; unfortunately, she had left her ipod inside of the truck which was currently locked.

'Well this is exciting.' She thought grimly. 'I think…I might actually start counting the stars…One…Two…Five…Six…' Josie sighed and moved her hands to rest under her head.

"Too much work." She concluded in a mumble.

There was a rise in volume of music and chatter from inside, signifying that the entrance had been opened, letting someone out or in.

Josie pushed herself up onto her elbows when she heard feet stepping though the brush on the ground towards her.

Evelyn was walking towards the truck with her hands shoved in the pockets of her jacket and her head lowered as the night breeze blew strands of hair into her face. There was a shadow of another following beside but Josie didn't sense anything sinister about it.

"Hey, you're back." Josie greeted, though frowned when Evelyn only gave a small smile in reply. "What's up?" She questioned.

Evelyn stopped by the side of the truck and removed a hand from a pocket to pull the hair from her face. The shadow that had followed her stopped just in view and turned up to be a boy who looked pretty annoyed. His jaw was clenched and his green eyes were piercing everything they looked at.

"Uh…Amanda is pretty preoccupied, so we're going to get a ride from Tyler." Evelyn referred to the boy behind her. Josie glanced at the boy for a moment before looking back to her cousin.

"Why? What's she doing?"

"Eh…" Evelyn shifted her weight from one foot to the other and wouldn't meet Josie's gaze.

"She's kicking me from my bed tonight, that's what she's doing." A frustrated voice left the boy's lips as he was now fixing his stare on Josie.

Josie drew her eyebrows together and looked to Evelyn questioningly. "Fine. Just let me get my ipod and we'll go." Josie slid off of the hood of the truck and stood expectantly for one of them to open the door.

Evelyn dropped her shoulders and rolled her eyes up to the sky. "You left it in the truck? I told you to bring it."

"You did not!"

"I said if you want to take it, take it."

"Well I didn't want to take it."

"Well now you're going to have to leave it."

"Huh? No! Just let me get inside-gimme the keys, I'll do it real quick."

Evelyn sighed and stomped her foot on the ground before taking a step back. "I don't have the keys." She stressed every syllable. "Let's just go. You'll see her tomorrow; you can get it from her then, all right?"

"Screw that, I'm getting it from her now." With that said, Josie stomped passed the two and headed back inside the bar.

"Josie!" Evelyn called after her, only to be ignored. "Oh, what the freak..." Evelyn groaned as she slapped her hands over her eyes and slowly ran them down her face.

"It shouldn't take that long." Tyler amended behind clenched teeth. It sounded like he was trying to calm himself down more than anything.

--

Soon, they heard the crunching of gravel as Josie stomped her way back to them. "Why the hell didn't you tell me that she was making out with some guy?" She demanded once she was within yelling distance.

"I thought I'd spare you the details." Evelyn responded dryly, pushing away from the car she'd been leaning against.

Josie fumed as she crossed her arms. "Fine, then let's go with him."

--

Evelyn had called shot-gun on the backseat, forcing Josie to ride in the front, while Tyler kept his mouth shut and his annoyance concealed. The expedition was huge, making the silence and the hum of the engine that much more audible.

Josie sighed and leaned forward to inspect the buttons of the stereo.

"What?" Tyler questioned, glancing at her for a moment before returning his gaze to the road.

"It's too quiet in here." Josie answered matter-of-factly as she pressed a button. Music blasted through the speakers startling both female passengers.

Tyler swatted Josie's hand away and, without taking his eyes off of the road, his fingers took control. The loud music disappeared and the sound of buttons being pushed took over. "What do you want to listen to?" He questioned.

"What do you have?" Josie retorted, still leaning forward in her seat.

Strums of a guitar sounded throughout the vehicle. Satisfied with what she heard, Josie leaned back in the seat and crossed her arms.

"What'd you mean when you said that Amanda's kicking you from your bed?" Josie suddenly brought up. Both Evelyn and Tyler gave her a questioning stare.

"Earlier, when I asked you two what Amanda was doing that was _so important_ she couldn't give us a ride; you said she was kicking you out of your bed."

Tyler rolled his eyes and put his focus back on the road, though he seemed open to talk. "Reid kicked me out of the room tonight so that they could be 'alone together.' He gave me this to sleep in though, isn't that nice of him." He added sarcastically while referring to the expedition.

"Yup, makes up for everything." Evelyn sardonically agreed.

Tyler clenched his jaw and kept his eyes on the road. They continued on in silence. Once they were parked in the student parking lot, Tyler turned off the engine and silently waited for the two girls to get out. Where Evelyn hastily undid her seatbelt and jumped out of the expedition, Josie simply clicked free the buckle and slowly slid out of the seat. Once her feet touched gravel, she stood for a moment in mental debate.

"Josie?" Evelyn turned when she noticed her cousin's hesitance. Josie half responded to the call and turned her full attention to Tyler who was now staring at her curiously.

"Er, you know, you could, like, you know?" Sighing, Josie shook her arms in nervousness and dropped her eyes to the ground to collect her thoughts. "If you want, you can sleep in my room. Er, our room."

She nervously glanced at Evelyn who had a surprised expression, just as she thought she would. It was this guy's response she was anxious to hear.

"Look, thanks, but no thanks. I'm fine here."

"Yeah Jos, it's against dorm rule policies." Evelyn stepped up. Then, she realized how much of a nerd she sounded like, and stopped talking.

Josie scoffed and turned back. "So? Amanda's going to stay with what's his face tonight, and I doubt they're going to play bingo. I'm just asking so he can have a place to sleep." Josie paused for a moment in which silence took over and turned back to Tyler. "I'm offering you an actual bed to sleep in."

Tyler kept still for a moment studying the new girl before sighing and leaning back in his seat. "That's nice and all; but I never said I was retiring for the night. You should go in, I'm gonna head somewhere." He gave a reassuring smile.

--

Walking down the silent dark hallway, Josie and Evelyn were in no hurry to reach their dorm rooms. Josie kept the mark of a grin on her face, her thoughts remaining on the smile of a cute boy.


	3. Saturday What A Day

**Chapter Three: Saturday, What A Day**

"You really chose a day to transfer, didn't you?" Evelyn grumbled as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. Early that Saturday morning Josie had barged into Evelyn's dorm room, demanding her consciousness so that they could go out and do things. Alexis had buried her face under her pillow, yelling at Evelyn to go so she could get some sleep.

So, now dressed in black sneakers, jeans, and a dark sweater, Evelyn walked down the dorm building steps with Josie two paces ahead of her.

"Of course. What better day to pick than a Friday? Now I get two free days to check this place out. Two days, baby!" As she lifted two fingers to emphasize her point, her stomach growled. "So where can we get breakfast?"

Evelyn had stopped walking to watch Josie's charade of excitement, but at the question, she hopped down the last steps. "Food. Eat. Yes." She swung her leg to the right to lead the way to the mess hall. "I don't remember you being so hyper in the morning. You were always Miss Grumpy Pants."

"That was because everyone was so loud." Josie defended herself as she followed. "Besides; I'm out of state away from home; my _little sister_," she growled the words; "isn't following my every movement. I'd like to think I'm a happy person right now."

"Hm."

Stuffing her hands in her jacket pockets, Josie lifted an eyebrow. "Speaking of Miss Grumpy Pants."

Evelyn sighed. "Excuse me for being a little annoyed at my wake up call this morning. Geez, you keep me out late at night then expect me to be up before breakfast." After grumbling the second part, she kicked an imaginary rock out of her path.

"It was a little after eleven, wow, so late."

"It was, for me it was!"

"But it wasn't! If I had kept you out to like five in the morning, then I'd understand."

"Why would you keep me out to five in the morning?"

"We-"

"What's the point in that?"

"I-"

"Come on, Jos, answer me."

"Whatever, you know you're happy to see me." Josie blew off.

Evelyn smirked and nudged her in the side. Josie caught her balance and kept in stride with her cousin. "Hey, I've been hearing rumors around here."

Evelyn furrowed her eyebrows. "Rumors? You just transferred yesterday, who are you hearing the rumors from?"

"The _walls_." Josie answered in an attempt to be eerie. "They talk you know. They don't have much to say about you, though." She ended in a thoughtful manner.

"Of course they wouldn't." Evelyn muttered under her breath. "So, what rumors have the walls been telling you?"

"What's with the whole '_Sons of Ipswich_?' People refer to them as some kind of royal family or something."

Evelyn opened her mouth to answer, then shut it when nothing came out. She barely understood the deal herself. They were just a bunch of rich boys who had the student body at their feet in her opinion. "I'm not the one to ask."

"But I'm asking."

Biting her lip, Evelyn gave it more thought. "I don't know really. From what I understand, they're descendants of four seventeenth century families."

"And?" Josie inquired when Evelyn didn't continue.

"That's pretty much it."

Josie's eyes moved back and forth as she tried to find any hidden meanings in Evelyn's words. "Well, I guess...That's it?"

Evelyn shrugged.

"Man, and here I thought there was some great mystery. When you hear, '_Sons of Ipswich_,' you think something like werewolves or demon hunters."

"Disappointed?"

"Yes!" Josie kicked the ground in show of her frustration.

--

After grabbing a plate of breakfast from the mess hall, the two girls ate in a somewhat silence. Josie continued her curious interrogations on what life was like on campus and was continuously disappointed when Evelyn blew it off as nothing grand.

"It's a normal school for the most part, Jos. It's just, you _never_ get to leave the drama like you would everyday back home. Some people here," Evelyn shivered as a chill ran through her. "It's like they _feed_ on constant distress. Someone has to be pissed or depressed, or this girl has to cheat on this guy because she wants him to be jealous, you know?"

Josie was quiet as she listened. When Evelyn stuffed toast in her mouth, Josie grabbed the opportunity to speak.

"Hey, let's go into town."

Evelyn swallowed. "Into town?"

Josie's face fell and her eyes widened. "Isn't there a town?"

"Sure."

"Then let's go! Take me into town, Ev, come on! _Excite me!_" Josie spread her arms as if a bright sign were held up over her head.

"Ha! Yeah, sure. Just provide the transportation and I'll get you there." Evelyn replied with a smile.

"Shit. You don't have a car? Is there a bus? Does your roommate have a car?"

Evelyn shook her head to the first two questions and at the last she held up her hand so she could drink some orange juice. "No. But _your_ roommate has a truck."

Josie rolled her eyes and sat back in her chair. "Yeah, but we all know she's currently busy."

"You never know, they could be early birds."

Josie scoffed. "Not likely."

"Mm." Evelyn knew it had been a long shot.

"Who was that guy who gave us the ride back yesterday?" Josie questioned.

"Tyler?"

"Well I can only guess."

"That's pretty much who he is."

"Do you even know him?"

"Sure. He's in one of my classes. But I don't really _know_ him, just who he is."

"Then how come he gave us a ride?"

"Because his roommate's girlfriend asked him to? I don't know Jos. I found a free ride and took it."

Josie chewed the inside of her cheek as she thought. She didn't much notice the other girl's curious stare.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Curiosity, I guess." Josie chugged down the last of her orange juice before scooting her chair back and standing up. "Come on let's go. Take me somewhere. You have to have some friends with a car they'll let you borrow."

--

Embarrassed that she didn't have any friends at the school close enough to lend her a car, Evelyn pushed Josie to head back to the dorm room to see if Amanda had returned yet. Josie only agreed to going back after making Evelyn promise to ask people for a ride as she did so.

What fun that would turn out to be if she actually did. Instead, Evelyn walked back to her dorm room to get a jacket and her ipod. If Josie was really determined, they might end up walking to town, which was about ten to fifteen miles away. Not that far really.

...

She needed to find a ride.

Evelyn walked into her shared dorm room and found that Alexis was still asleep. Scratching her head in a moments hesitation, she moved over to the window and swiftly pulled up the blinds, letting the morning light shine in.

The form of Alexis cringed and the blanket around her shifted higher over her head. "What are you doing?" Her unused morning voice demanded.

"Your boyfriend has a car, right?"

--

"Sweet, you got wheels!" Josie exclaimed as she ran up to her cousin who was currently sitting behind the wheel of a silver Ford Focus. After having confirmed that her roommate wasn't back at the room yet, Evelyn had told her to meet her at the front entrance of the school.

"Yeah. So you wanna go into town?" Evelyn questioned with a smile.

--

They drove down the sheltered road with the windows rolled down and smooth music playing from the system. Josie flipped down the overhead mirror to block the sunlight from hitting her face. "So who's car is this? And what's with the music?"

"This is Alexis' boyfriend's car. He usually lets her borrow it on the weekends so I asked if I could borrow it for today. Don't mess anything up, okay?"

Josie sighed and leaned back in the chair. "Yeah, sure. But that doesn't explain the music. It's your music, isn't it?"

Evelyn shrugged. "I lent Alexis some of my CDs some time ago, I guess she was listening to one last night."

"They're such a drag." Josie complained as she reached forward to flip through the different tracks of the CD.

Evelyn bit her tongue as a cool breeze flew through the car, releasing her mind from the annoyance of having her music taste criticized. They pulled into town a good fifteen minutes later. The ten o'clock sun could barely be seen from behind the now cloudy sky.

This town was smaller than either girl was originally used to. The downtown area back home resembled the main street in this local vicinity. The town pharmacy, thrift store, theater, and most popular restaurant were all located on the same lane.

"Wow, not much to see." Josie commented as she looked around while unbuckling her seatbelt.

Evelyn hadn't seen more than a first glance of the town herself, but she felt a need to astound her audience with some sort of awe. "Yeah, well, let's just take a walk down the sidewalk; see where it leads." She removed the keys from the ignition, unfastened her seatbelt and opened the car door in one fluid motion.

Josie shrugged and stepped out of the car as well. "You know, we borrowed the car for a reason. We could just _drive_ down the street."

"We borrowed the car to get here. Now that we're here, you're going to get off your lazy bum and walk with me."

Josie made a face. "I'm already '_off my bum_.'" She repeated mockingly while closing the car door and joining Evelyn on the sidewalk.

The two walked down the lane, becoming accustomed with the new world around them. Evelyn kept up a facade that she knew where things were, even though it was her first time seeing and entering each store. Their encounter with one store they went into before the lunch hour was especially memorable.

A young teen had just started his shift, letting an elderly lady go off to lunch. When Josie had gone up to buy a pack of gum, he had instantly began flirting with her. Feeling awkward, and a tad embarrassed for the boy, Josie bought a deck of cards as well. Evelyn stood behind the sunglasses rack, doing her best not to let on that she heard every single pick up line.

The two girls left the store; one in laughter, the other flushed. It was noon now, and their stomachs let them know it.

"What's there to eat?" Josie asked as she found a wooden bench to sit down on.

Evelyn scanned both the distance they'd walked and the area they were in. Apparently the town wasn't as small as it had first seemed. The sidewalk had led down a hill which gave way to more small businesses and houses. There was a vendor in front of a railing just across the street from them and Evelyn was suddenly hit with a craving for hot dogs.

"Come on." She grabbed at Josie's shirt for a moment before letting go and heading towards the stocked cart. As the morning progressed, more people had started appearing throughout the area. Josie thought she even recognized some from the halls of Spenser.

As soon as Evelyn approached the cart, she noticed that down below, behind the railing was the sands of a beach. She hadn't even known there was a beach nearby. The sea breeze was enough to make her want to slip through the railing bars and lay in the grainy sands forever. Her stomach growling pulled her back to reality, however.

--

"So now what?" Josie questioned as they began to walk back towards the car. "We've seen the town, the ocean, had a typical Saturday lunch; is there anything else to see?" In her mind she was thinking, 'Please let there be more to see.'

"I guess, but its on the way back to school. So, are we pretty much done here?"

Josie glanced around their surroundings and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. So what is it?"

--

The car once again entered the tall greenery as it left the area of civilization. Josie stared out at the tall looming trees, her mind a million miles away. Evelyn had only lied a little when she said it was on their way back to the school, but what did it matter? They just had to go a little out of their way, nothing drastic or noticeable.

It was an old farmhouse, or it had been until it burned down a week before. Josie was into creepy things and haunting figures; what better than to show her where a historical building used to stand? She knew some of the stories, enough to relay information without confusion.

As they pulled up to the site, Evelyn pulled over to the side of the road, alerting Josie that they had arrived at the destination. The two remained in the car; one waiting for the other's reaction.

"So, where are we at?"

"We are at the ashy remains of what used to be the old Putnam barn." Evelyn answered as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

Raising her bottom lip in a thoughtful manner, Josie studied the scene through the windshield. "So someone burned it down?"

"I guess so. The police report said that it had to have been intentionally started since it was pouring rain the night it burned. The only lead they had were two kids from Spencer, but it was really only one since the other was unconscious."

"And what did they say?"

"He said that he hadn't started it. They had just gone in there because the car broke down; I don't believe that, though."

Josie turned to look at her cousin who's eyebrows were furrowed.

"Because by the time they were done questioning and the girl was checked for injuries, they just drove off."

"Ha! Wow, what kind of police force do they have up here?"

"Not a very good one."

"Obviously." Josie turned her gaze back to the debris. "Can we go look at it?"

"Yeah, why not. Go." As soon as those words left Evelyn's lips, Josie hastily unbuckled her seatbelt and bounded out of the car. She walked over to the burnt ground and immediately bent down for a closer inspection. Evelyn stepped out of the car and walked forward to lean on the hood.

After lifting a few charred boards and rolling over black bolts, Josie sighed and leaned back on her heels. "There's not a lot here."

"Yeah. They pretty much took all the interesting stuff in the clean up." Evelyn answered.

Josie frowned and absentmindedly ran her fingers through a pile of ash. 'Well this is still pretty cool.' With her index finger, she took to writing in the ash: Josie was here. She then stood up, dusted off her hands and turned. "So do you actually have any friends at Spencer?" She questioned, making her way back to the car. Neither was aware of the wisps of ash that followed and clasped onto the legs of Josie's jeans.


	4. Settling In

A/N: Thank you to those that reviewed! Sorry if uploading took awhile. But its here, and its up, ready for you to read!

**Chapter Four: Settling In**

Keep them open. Come on. You can do it. This can be interesting. While the South was rebuilding and the West was being settled, the Midwest and Northeast were growing quickly as a result of-oh it's no use.

Josie's head hit the top of her desk as the drone of the professor's voice helped lull her to sleep. This wasn't the best way to start her first day at Spencer, especially if it was only first period, but at the moment, Josie couldn't bring herself to care.

It was, after all, just school. She'd ridden through the classes fairly back home, she didn't see any reason why these would be different. That is, until there was a rapture on the chalkboard, stirring her from slumber.

"Good morning, Ms Gellar. Would you please tell us why the Midwest and Northeast were growing so rapidly?" The professor questioned expectantly.

Josie glanced around herself and found all attention directed at her. She slowly sat up in her seat and cleared her throat. "Was it...because of...inventions?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?"

"Uh, telling you?"

The professor raised her eyebrows. "Well Ms Gellar, you'll find that if you stay awake you'll be more confident in your answer. Even if that answer turns out to be 'I don't know.'" A few students chuckled at this, making a tinge of red rise in Josie's cheeks. "That answer is exactly right. Now, moving on to why..."

Josie took in a deep breath and dropped her head into her open palm. Maybe she'd have to keep on her toes in class after all. Only fall asleep when the teacher is _not_ looking. Good plan.

--

Walking down the steps at the end of her second class, Josie heard her name called by the teacher behind her. She froze mid step and after a moment, sighed in defeat. Turning back around, she took the needed paces to arrive before the short Professor Lupeg. His stern gaze made up for his lack in height as it was magnified by the lenses of his dark rimmed glasses.

"How did you like your first physics class here at Spenser?" He questioned while slipping one hand into his pants pocket.

Josie shifted her eyes to the right and raised her shoulders. "It was all right. My head's kinda spinning from all the equations you just threw out there." She admitted with a laugh. When Professor Lupeg's expression remained the same, Josie cleared her throat and dropped her shoulders.

"Pay attention in class, Ms Gellar. Let's not let that pretty little head of yours spin anymore. That's all I have to say. You can go now." With that he turned away from her and began to organize papers on his desk.

Josie stood there for a moment, cursing up a storm in her head, before taking a step back, turning, and fully leaving the class room. Evelyn waited for her outside the doorway. "Hey." She called when Josie walked right passed her.

Josie jumped at the unexpected sound of her cousin. "Evelyn? What are you doing here?"

Evelyn pushed away from the wall she had been leaning against. "We had the same class." She informed.

"Are you shitting me?" Josie blurted.

Evelyn scrunched up her face at the sentence but shook her head to dismiss it. "No."

"Man, I didn't even see you, where were you?"

"Obviously." Evelyn chuckled. They began walking through the crowd of students to their next class. As they walked Evelyn informed Josie that she had been sitting in the front row in the corner furthest from the door. It was quiet there and while no one saw her, she had full view of everyone in the class.

Josie had English Literature next, a subject she wasn't really confident in. Evelyn had a class further on down, so they said their goodbyes and headed to their respective rooms.

Professor Jordan seemed like an all right teacher; but lazy as hell. After telling her to just choose a seat to sit in, he began with the lecture in which hardly anyone paid attention. Once through with the lesson there was still half an hour left to the class period. He simply said, "You know what you have to work on, get to it." Then he retreated to his desk behind his computer.

Josie stared out at the class around her. People were up, moving, and talking as soon as the professor had turned for his desk. She sat still for awhile before folding her arms on the desk surface and dropping her head into the small nest.

"Hey!" A hand fell onto her shoulder, startling Josie into sitting up straight at once, knocking into whoever's head was behind her. She immediately let out a yelp in pain and dropped her head again, clutching it with both her hands.

Amanda jolted from the impact and grabbed at her nose, trying to stop it from aching. "Ow, ow, ow, ow!"

Some laughter was heard which Josie commenced to cursing mentally for. She slowly lifted her head to look at the person who had jumped on her. "What?" She snapped through her pain and embarrassment.

Amanda dropped into the empty seat beside Josie and leaned forward, doing her best to keep tears from her eyes. "I was going to tell you..." She took in a breath and sat up straighter. "That Tyler has been looking at you. All period."

"Who's Tyler?" Josie questioned in a moment's amnesia. Then it hit her. Her eyes wondered the classroom in search of him. "What the hell, I didn't know he was in this class."

"Have you talked to him?" Amanda asked curiously.

"No. Just once Friday when he gave me and Evelyn a ride."

"Hm," Amanda bit her lip in thought. She then turned to Josie with a mischievous smile. "You should go talk to him."

Josie knew she was in for something when she saw Amanda's smile; she'd seen that smile many times before from Evelyn in her mischievous days. But Amanda's suggestion was off the charts. To Josie anyway.

She turned and folded into herself. "Hell no."

--

Evelyn drummed her fingers up and down her spiral notebook. She wasn't getting anywhere with her English essay and it was bugging the hell out of her. Sighing, she flipped through the pages, trying to get an idea from the notes she had taken in class.

There was a bang on the dorm room door that startled Evelyn into tearing a sheet of paper. She swiveled in her desk chair when she heard a voice from the other side of the door call out her name.

"Evelyn, come on, open the door." Alexis called while she tried not to drop all of her papers.

"Sorry, I didn't know it was locked." Evelyn apologized as she opened the door to let the struggling teen in. "Do you need any help?" She questioned.

"No, I'm fine." Alexis dropped the papers on her own desk top and plopped down on her bed, letting her bags slide off of her arms. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to work on an essay for English, but inspiration hasn't hit me yet." Evelyn answered, tapping her head with her fingers.

"Oh-" Alexis was interrupted by a knocking on the door. She looked at the closed door quizzically just as Evelyn did before opening it.

"Josie?" Evelyn opened the door wider to let her cousin in. "What's up?"

The uniformed girl shuffled into the room with her arms hanging uselessly at her sides. "Nothing. Amanda is just taking up the room again." Her weary voice informed as she took a seat on Evelyn's bed. She gave a weak wave in greeting to Alexis, who returned it with a tired smile.

"It's Monday, doesn't she have work to do?" Evelyn questioned after closing the door and resuming her spot at her desk.

Josie nodded. "Yeah, she's doing work. Just not anything for school." She thought for a moment. "Maybe for the student body, but, eh."

Evelyn and Alexis shared a glance. "Well, you know, at least she gets along well with everyone. Not many from the female side, but you know, at least she has connections." Alexis tried to defend.

"I'm not sure a girl trying to become a lawyer would want _those_ kind of connections." Evelyn reprimanded.

Alexis bit her bottom lip and Josie just silently nodded with the ghost of a 'yeah' on her lips. Josie stared off into space as her mind ran through the day's events before groaning and running her hands over her face.

"First day that bad?" Evelyn inquired curiously.

"In all of my classes _but third_, the teacher held me back to tell me to shape up and pay attention. In every single one." The stressed girl then plopped back onto Evelyn's bed to stare up at the plain ceiling. "You need something up here." She commented.

Alexis grabbed a pen and notepad and signaled Evelyn that she was going to head outside. Evelyn nodded, then turned her full attention to her distressed cousin. "So what happened in third?"

"What?" Josie sighed.

"Sounds like something happed in your third period class."

"I was complaining about my first, second, and fourth. Why are you asking about my third?"

Evelyn shrugged. "Just the way you sounded when you referred to it."

"Well nothing happened."

"Okay, that's my mistake."

It was silent before Josie spoke again. "Its just...I think this guy likes me."

"Why?"

"Because Amanda said that throughout an entire lecture he was staring at me. And after she told me that, I realized she was right. For the rest of the period every time I would look at him he'd look away. You know, as if he'd been looking at me. So I think he likes me." Josie then sat up. "Doesn't that sound like something someone would do if they liked someone?"

Evelyn opened her mouth to say something but Josie jumped back in to hold stage. "And then Amanda tells me that I should go up and talk to the guy! Its not like I talk to him anyway, but apparently I have my first three classes with him." She sighed. "Man, I think its going to be awkward, do you think its going to be awkward?" She turned her body, facing Evelyn expectantly.

Evelyn bit her lip. "This is awkward...I was asking why any guy in their right mind would like you."

It was silent for nearly a minute before Josie grabbed a pillow and threw it at the sitting girl, declaring; "Oh you're no help!"

Evelyn blocked the pillow and chuckled lightly. "Okay, seriously, you should know I'm not that great of help in this subject, just like you should know that you're not under any obligations to do anything. Amanda might have said you should go talk to him, it doesn't mean you have to. Since when have you listened to strangers anyway? I know she's your roommate but she obviously doesn't know you too well if she told you that. If he likes you, then hey, congrats to him. Doesn't mean you have to do the approaching, okay?"

Josie silently nodded before quirking an eyebrow and tilting her head. "You sound like a mom, you know that?"

"Yes. You know my mom; everything I know I learned from her, and FRIENDS."

"That's actually pretty good, why'd you say you're not that great at this?"

"I lack experience."

"Huh." Josie dropped her jaw as she stared off into space, thinking about what to do with the given advice.

--

The next morning Josie was on the alert. She was going to stick with Evelyn's advice and not care about it, but the idea of being watched almost all day was not appealing to her at all. She was walking up to a corner and braced herself to turn; it was a good thing she did. A young and handsome face greeted her.

"Sorry. Hey you're the new girl, Josie, right?"

"Yeah." Josie replied shortly, wondering who the heck was talking to her.

"I'm Mathew. I have first period with you."

"Aren't you going the wrong way, then?" Josie questioned, referring to the classroom entrance a few feet behind him.

Mathew looked back at the classroom and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I forgot my history book back in my room."

Josie's eyes widened. "Shit, we need that today?"

"Yes."

Josie quickly turned on her heel to head back to the dorm room but walked straight into another body. "Sorry, are you okay?"

Josie looked up and instantly froze when she realized she'd walked straight into Tyler (the only Tyler she knew). She stumbled a step back. "I'm good." She replied in a higher voice than normal. Her face fell as she cleared her throat before putting up a smile.

"We were just going to head back to the dorms. We both forgot our history books." Mathew informed, though he didn't really have to make it sound as if they were going to go back together. Josie had planned to head back on her own.

"Oh. If you want, you can use my book. I usually just get my stuff from Reid anyway." Tyler offered, holding out his book to Josie. When she just stared at it stupidly, Mathew swapped in and took it.

"Thanks man. We sit next to each other so we can share it." Tyler returned Mathew's smile while Josie remained quiet.

"We do?" She looked up at Mathew. She didn't know they sat next to each other. Was he the annoying one who clicked his pen? No. That guy had sideburns. Must be the one she wasn't too interested in because he wouldn't shut up. Oh, wait...Had he been talking to her? No...he couldn't have been. There were other people around talking to him. Right?

"Professor Evans is beginning to stare." Tyler commented. "We should get to class."

Josie snapped out of her thoughts and looked around her, even twisting to glance back at the classroom doorway, where sure enough, the elderly woman stood.

"Right. You coming Josie?" Mathew questioned, stepping towards the classroom.

Josie narrowed her eyes at nothing in particular and replied dryly, "Yeah." She didn't walk alongside Mathew, instead she marched ahead of both boys. This was not how she had planned to start her morning.


	5. Party

A/N: I'm sorry for the late update, hopefully the length will make up for it? Thank you everyone who is keeping up with my slow chapters, and to guardian music angel for your constant reviews!

**Chapter Five: Party**

Alexis walked through the different aisles of the library after her last class on Thursday. Evelyn had left a note on her desk saying she was going to be at the library for a few hours, and Alexis needed to relay some news she'd just heard in her fourth period class.

She'd searched the entire floor of the library, but couldn't find Evelyn anywhere. It occurred to her then that there was a second level of the library and began a search for the staircase.

Evelyn chewed the end of her pen, her forehead creased in concentration as she read from the open book in her lap.

"Evelyn!" Her head shot up, the pen dangling from her lips as she saw Alexis rushing to her side, still in her uniform. Falling to her knees, Alexis leaned toward her and began to speak. "I've been looking for you everywhere!" She gasped.

Evelyn dropped the pen from her lips and caught it with her hand. "I left a note saying I'd be here."

Alexis nodded her head. "Yes. I was looking everywhere in the library."

"Well you found me, so what's up?"

"People are starting to look at your cousin."

Evelyn shrugged. "Okay..."

"No, looking as in guys are checking her out and some girls are getting pretty jealous."

"Hm..." Evelyn placed the end of her pen back on her lips as she silently considered the information.

"That's not all." Alexis continued hesitantly. Evelyn looked up at her, her brown eyes intense as she stared into the blue of Alexis' worried gaze. "Abbott's been watching her. He seems very interested."

Evelyn dropped her head back against the book case she was sitting up against and groaned. Alexis questioned if she was going to do anything, though her roommate simply shook her head in response. The only thing she could do really, was warn Josie about the prick. She didn't like the idea of Abbott pining after her cousin, but if she had things her way, Abbott would have been tied to a rocket on his way to the moon long ago.

She closed the book she had been reading, shoved the pen inside her jeans pocket and pushed herself to her feet. Alexis followed suit and stared at her roommate questioningly.

--

Josie absently stared up at the ceiling over her bed, earphones blasting fast paced music into her ears. Her week so far had not been going well. She hadn't talked much to anyone and no one to her knowledge much wanted to talk to her. Her thoughts: 'This sucks.'

Amanda entered the room dressed in gray jogging shorts and a white tee. She curiously glanced over the gloomy teen spread out on the bed opposite hers, before kicking her sneakers off. She walked over to the lone closet the two now shared, finally catching Josie's eye, and grabbed some clothes off of hangars.

Removing one earphone and pushing the pause button on her ipod, Josie tilted her head to the side to see Amanda more clearly. "What's up?" She questioned in a drone.

Amanda turned back to her smiling before closing the closet door and moving over to sit on her own bed. "I'm going to a party tonight, do you want to come with me? You can be my date."

Josie considered the offer with a frown. She felt the need to clarify. "I was just asking what was up. I wasn't looking for an invitation anywhere."

The seated girl giggled. "Well, you got one. So what do you say?"

Josie remained silent, unsure of an answer. She didn't really feel like going anywhere, but in the end she knew she couldn't stay cooped up in the dorm room forever. But a party meant actually talking to people...

A rapture on the door snapped Josie from her thoughts. Amanda jumped up to her feet and lightly made her way towards the door. "I'm going for a shower right now. You can think about it, then give me an answer when I get back." She reasoned over her shoulder before opening the door.

"Is Josie here?" A voice questioned.

"She sure is." The energetic teen slipped out the door leaving Evelyn standing at the entrance, unsure of whether or not to walk in right away. Slowly placing her hand on the wooden door frame, Evelyn leaned forward. "Josie?" She called.

"Yeah!" Hearing her cousin's voice, Josie picked herself up into a sitting position and removed the remaining earphone from her head.

Evelyn entered the room, slowly closing the door behind herself. "Hey, what's going on?" She greeted with a smile.

Josie shrugged. "Nothing. I was just invited to a party and I'm not sure if I want to go." The blunt words left her mouth as she wound the earphones around her ipod and placed the object on the nightstand by the head of the bed.

"Whose party?" Evelyn questioned curiously. She took a seat at the far edge of Josie's bed, kicked off her shoes and crossed her legs on the covers.

"I dunno." Josie answered. She hadn't thought about that part. "Amanda just said she was going to a party tonight and asked if I wanted to be her date."

"Oh." That was one worry lifted from Evelyn's thoughts. She'd assumed that Aaron had invited her after what Alexis had told her.

Staring at her cousin's reaction, Josie sensed something was up. She just didn't know what. "What?" She questioned.

Evelyn's eyes snapped up to hers. "What?" She returned.

Josie studied her for a moment, her eyes hooded as she contemplated. "Nothing...I guess. So what'd you come over for?"

At the swift change of subject, a new burden weighed on Evelyn's shoulders. As much as she cared for her child hood relative, Evelyn didn't care much for restricting the lives of others. However, she knew Josie had to be warned. After asking if she knew Aaron Abbott, and receiving a no in reply, Evelyn went ahead and informed Josie of his perverted, egotistical ways.

"I'm just telling you so that if he comes up and says something to you, you wont be surprised if I knee him or something."

Josie rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't knee him. You can't hurt anyone." She pointed out as a matter of fact, causing the other to wince.

"I'd want to though."

Josie glanced out the window and saw that the sun rays filtering through the window were already low. "Come with me, then."

"Come with you where?" Evelyn questioned, not catching the drift.

Josie found herself rolling her eyes again as she turned her head back to face Evelyn. "Come with me to the party." She clarified, her chest nut eyes glimmering with persuasion.

Evelyn visually stiffened at the request, drawing a curious stare from the other. There was a moment of silence in which Josie guessed her cousin was merely weighing out her options. To Josie, she believed she didn't leave Evelyn much choice. Between a party and cramming inside a lone dorm room, it should have been fairly easy to make a decision; especially if they went together.

"I'm good." The words slipped from Evelyn's lips before she slid off the side of the bed. Stuffing her feet back inside her shoes, she had full intentions of walking out.

"What? Why?" Josie stood as well, watching as Evelyn had to stop forcing her feet on her shoes, sit back down on the bed and untie the laces.

"Because, I don't want to go to a party." Evelyn answered, trying to pass it off as an easy answer. It failed, however.

"Pft. Whatever. Why don't you want to go?"

Evelyn looked up from fitting on her shoes. "You don't even know whose party it is."

Josie dropped her head back in a way that made her look like she was about to cry out to the heavens. "When have I _ever_ known whose party it is? I hear free food and tag along."

Evelyn frowned. She knew it was true, heck it was one of the things they had in common. Still, her stomach tied itself in knots at the thought. "You're going with Amanda, I don't need to be a tag along's tag along."

"So I'll tell her it's a package deal. I wont go unless you go. And are you going to be the reason why I don't go and make new friends?"

Evelyn looked up at her dryly. "No. That's your own darn fault."

Josie groaned. "Just come with me."

"No." Evelyn stomped her foot on the floor as she stood up, her shoes now securely on.

"Please?" Josie attempted, following her cousin to the door.

"Nope."

"Pretty please?"

Evelyn had opened the door and was about to walk out when she stopped. Josie's hope soared and she pounced on her chance. "I'll give you chocolate! Mmm, chocolate!"

Evelyn's jaw dropped as she turned to look back at Josie. "You really think that's going to get me to go?" She snapped.

"Yes?" Josie gave a toothy grin, attempting to win the girl over. Evelyn rolled her eyes. "It better not be that cheap stuff from the vending machine." She muttered, turning around and heading out the door.

"So is that a yes?" Josie called down the hall.

Evelyn waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah, whatever." She grumbled, not bothering to turn around. She knew she would only see a triumphant smile on Josie's features, which would only rub in Evelyn's face that she had caved.

--

The darkness of night came swiftly with a slight cool breeze in greeting. Lamp and street lights illuminated the wide grounds of Spenser. After an hour of preparation and some minutes of short explanation to Amanda, Josie and Evelyn followed the highly dressed teen through the parking lot to her truck. Next to the black number Amanda sported, both Texan-raised girls felt immensely under dressed. From Josie's dark blue jeans to Evelyn's loose red long sleeved blouse, they felt like kids next to a model. The way Amanda 'strutted her stuff' left little room for objection.

After the three climbed into the truck, Amanda set a course seemingly for town. Evelyn nudged Josie who sat in the middle. The two still had no idea as to where the party was or who was hosting it. They came up to a fork in the road; one way leading into town, the other to who knows where. Of course, Amanda took to the unknown one.

The road was rough and secluded from city lights while the passengers inside were bound in an awkward silence.

Josie, being stuck in the middle, was unsure of what to say or do to ease the tension, while Evelyn was mentally calming her nerves down. Alexis had said that she and her boyfriend were invited to the same party and that they would later follow after them. Knowing she was going to know at least two people at the party did wonders for her.

"So whose house are we going to?" Josie broke the silence at last.

Amanda smirked, catching the interest of both passengers. "A house was never mentioned." Was all she said before swerving the pick up off road.

"So, its not at a house; is it an apartment, a shack, a circus tent, what?" Josie inquired.

Slowing the truck to a stop, Amanda turned out the lights, put the gear in park and switched off the ignition. "Let's go."

Both girls stared out the glass windows at their surroundings. The land was covered with trees and shrubs. Some vehicles were parked around as well, though just as scattered as the plant life.

Amanda slid off her seat and slammed the door shut after herself. Josie and Evelyn glanced at each other in indecision.

"She was wearing heels, right?" Josie questioned as they both unbuckled their seat belts.

"Uh-huh." Evelyn nodded as she reached for the door handle.

"So this can't be an outside deal, can it? That doesn't make sense. Why go through all that preparation when it looks as if you need to wear shoes our here?" She scooted towards the edge of the seat then slid out just as Evelyn had.

After making sure Josie had her ipod this time, Evelyn shut the door and they hurried to keep in sight of Amanda.

"Is it muddy?"

"I dunno."

"It feels like it could be muddy."

"Well be careful, wouldn't want you slipping."

"Gee thanks, now I'm going to."

"I just told you not to-"

"Well that's not going to stop me-"

"Oh my gosh, just let it go-"

"If I slip, I'm blaming you-"

"Why, its not like you'd fall."

"Gah!"

"What?"

"Why'd you say that? Stop doing that." Josie smacked Evelyn's arm twice.

"What was that for?"

"You keep jinxing me-its going to happen now, thank you."

"Would you calm down-"

Their bickering quieted when they reached the edge of a clearing. The grounds were unleveled, but on each elevated hill was a parked vehicle with lights on. Music blared and bodies were scattered. Amanda had already disappeared somewhere amongst them. Looking around, both girls were unsure of where to go.

"Hey, girls," A voice greeted from beside them. Mathew gave a warm smile in greeting and with his hands shoved in his jacket pockets, gave a nod to each.

"Hey, Mathew." Josie returned the greeting less enthusiastically.

"You should come hang out," He turned his body in one direction for them. "If you stand here all night people will start to stare."

"Sure, I guess." Josie replied slowly. She took a step forward then glanced at Evelyn, making sure she would follow. Her cousin shrugged, signalling that there was nowhere else she knew to go.

Mathew's eyes flashed over Evelyn quickly before either could catch him, then led them down the elevated land toward a group of teens. Conversation slowed when they approached. Mathew introduced Josie as a girl from class and fell silent when he turned to Evelyn. She simply gave her name to them and gave a nod in greeting. The two girls of the group locked eyes from across the circle while the guys just nodded their heads in acknowledgment. Conversation slowly resumed.

One of the girls stepped next to Evelyn to have small talk. Evelyn learned that her name was Monica and that the other girl in the circle was her sister, Larissa. A half hour later and the sisters each grabbed a guy from the group and pulled them over to where the music blasted to dance.

The music was constant as songs transitioned from one to the next. A fast beat began to pulse throughout the area, catching Josie's interest immediately. Her eyes widened and she straightened up. "OH my God, Evelyn I know this song!" Josie exclaimed, grabbing the other girl's sleeve. "Come on, let's go by the speakers!"

Josie dragged Evelyn over to a small crowd of dancing bodies and immediately lost herself in the thrash. Evelyn wasn't so easily captivated by the smooth notes or loud words. She slipped through the moving crowd unnoticed by anyone and stood behind one of the speakers. Josie jumped and twirled and shook her head about causing her hair to swivel about her head.

Evelyn wasn't too sure of where this bout of spontaneity came from, but she honestly didn't mind as long as she didn't have to be a part of it. At the sound of angry voices in the distance, Evelyn turned to search the area behind her.

Through the passing teens that littered the area, she caught a glimpse of two tense forms in front of a parked truck. She was a bit surprised to see Amanda standing between the two, a hand on each of their chests, holding them apart.

Music continued to blast throughout the scene and Evelyn guessed that it would be awhile before Josie pulled herself from the world she was currently in.

Trudging up the slanted ground toward the truck, Evelyn was able to hear more clearly who was speaking.

"I don't need this shit. Not from you or anyone." Reid spat viciously.

"What are you going to do about it, dick head?" Aaron challenged, taking a step forward in an attempt at intimidation.

"Reid!"

Evelyn's steps faltered at the new stern voice that entered. The towering presence of Caleb stepped up next to the peeved, shorter blond. Reid rolled his eyes and didn't bother looking towards his friend. He could already feel the disappointed stare burning into his side, pissing him off more.

"What do you think you're doing?" Caleb demanded.

"I'm not doing anything. You wanna glare at someone? Glare at them." Reid turned with disgust and stomped his way through the small crowd that had gathered.

Slowly the interest in what was happening dissipated and others began to take their leave from the spot as well. Even as people passed between them, Evelyn kept her eyes on Amanda.

--

The song eventually gave way to another, giving Josie a chance to catch her breath and take in her surroundings once again. She turned one then another. "The heck..." She muttered as her eyes scanned the faces around her.

Where were Evelyn and Amanda?

Just then Mathew was in front of her.

"Hey," He greeted with a smile.

"Hi," Josie returned.

"Do you usually dance solo?" He questioned.

Josie's face fell. "Huh? I gues..."

"Mind if I join you?"

Josie shrugged.

--

Evelyn silently made her way over to the parked truck and leaned against its rear. Amanda had walked away a distance, followed by Aaron. They had stopped and now it looked as if they were arguing.

"Evelyn!" Snapping her head in the direction of the calling voice, Evelyn saw Alexis standing by the truck, with her tall boyfriend right beside her.

"Hey, Alexis," Evelyn smiled sheepishly.

"What are you doing over here?" Alexis questioned.

Evelyn glanced back to where Amanda and Aaron were, but found that they had both disappeared. Drawing her eyebrows together in a confused frown, Evelyn dropped and shook her head before looking up to Alexis with a clear expression. "Do you think you'd be able to give us a ride back if it came down to it?"

Alexis tilted her head, her blue eyes glinting in the night light.

--

Mathew was an awkward dancer. No. That would be putting it lightly. Josie soon had to excuse herself from the tone-deaf teen with a random excuse from the top of her head, and began to walk back to the group she had first been introduced to. She did feel sorry for the guy, but she wasn't about to be held against her will by the forces of sympathy.

While keeping an eye out for either her cousin or her roommate, Josie wasn't able to see the engrossed couple walking the same path she was but in the opposite direction towards her. She quickly sidestepped, though her shoulder bumped roughly with the male's, causing her to lose balance and crash into another behind her. Cursing under her breath at the bad luck, Josie turned apologetically to the person she'd disturbed.

"Hey there," The smooth voice of Tyler Simms greeted her.

Josie's eyes widened as she did her best to keep her thoughts in line. "Uh, hi..." She felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment. The one person she literally bumps into at this party just _has_ to be him.

He completely turned away from the two he'd been talking with and faced her with a smile she was beginning to grow fond of. Snapping out of her reverie of him, Josie began to apologize. "I'm sorry. Someone just rammed into me, and I lost my footing, that's why...Hey, wait a minute, why aren't they here apologizing?" Josie's eyes scanned the area briefly. They should be here in her stead, why was she taking responsibility? Figuring that getting them back was a lost cause, she simply closed her mouth, sighed, and turned back to Tyler. "Anyways, it was an accident. Not my fault. But, yeah. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." He shoved his pockets inside the black coat he was wearing and leaned his head down towards her. "Are you having fun?"

Josie caught her breath and nodded her head in a way to hide it. "Yeah, it's pretty cool." She answered quickly, leaving little room for a reply. Realizing this, she immediately rolled her eyes at herself. 'Way to carry on a conversation, Jos.'

"What about you?" She brought up before the conversation completely died. "Having fun?"

Tyler glanced around them then shrugged before looking back at her.

A hand clapped on his shoulder, grabbing both of their attentions and silencing anymore discussion that might have been spoken. "Hey, baby boy." The baritone voice of Pogue Perry greeted in humor.

Tyler's eyes fell to the ground as he turned his head half way to Pogue in acknowledgment. Josie smirked at the greeting but kept her mouth shut on funny comments.

"We gotta go." Pogue informed Tyler who then turned a questioning gaze towards him. "Words going around of a mosh pit starting up. That never leads to anything good." Pogue clarified.

Tyler nodded then told Pogue he'd meet up with them at the car. Turning back to Josie he inquired; "Do you have a ride back tonight?"

Josie nodded. "Yeah. We came with Amanda. She's around here somewhere." Though she had no idea where.

"All right. I'll see you around then." Tyler slowly began to walk away and when Josie returned the same words, he smiled then fully turned, following the same path Pogue had taken.

Turning back to observe the area, Josie felt situation as hopeless as finding a needle in a hay stack. That is, until she spotted a peeved Amanda walking straight towards her.

"We're leaving." She said coldly, brushing past the shocked girl. Evelyn slowly approached her, her manner was awkwardly quiet.

"What's up with her?" Josie questioned.

Evelyn shrugged. "Let's just catch up with her before she leaves without us."

Josie's shoulders slumped. This was a party? She was only able to get one good dance in and they called _that_ a night? At least she had the chance to talk with Tyler, couldn't have done that by staying at the dorms.


	6. Observations

**Chapter Six: Observations**

From the remains of Putnam barn, to the familiar halls of Spenser, he kept notice of every gesture, every glance, and every word. Her classes, he knew by heart; the music on her ipod, he didn't have much choice in memorizing; and the people she conversed with were quite interesting. So interesting that the workings of a plan were quickly under way.

At first he had thought that he had been dealt the worst hand in the history of comebacks. But now, he found that he could twist things to his advantage. He would wait. He was a patient soul. At least, somewhere in his demented mind, he once believed himself to be.

Pushes would be made when necessary. After all, he didn't much enjoy the idea of waiting on a woman.

--

Metallic surface rolled back and forth across the mahogany desk as Tyler stared it down with pitch black eyes. His eyebrows were drawn together and his mouth was fixed in a loose frown.

"Damn it, Tyler, would you cut it out?" The aggravated snap drew Tyler from his deep thoughts, letting his eyes fade back into their original blue and causing the pen to roll right off the edge of the desk.

Annoyed at being interrupted, Tyler's eyes flashed towards his roommate's bed, where said roommate was currently sprawled out in a heap of covers and clothes. Once they had returned to their room, Reid had collapsed onto his mattress, demanding there to be quiet so he could get some shut eye. Tyler had let him lay there for a good half hour in silence before becoming restless. And now that his option of thinking was out the window, Tyler found little reason to remain in the room. He wasn't tired. And he sure as hell wasn't going to stare at that damned ceiling for another minute.

Standing up and heading towards the door, he halted at the sound of Reid's muffled drawl. "Where you goin'?"

Tyler turned to look back and saw that Reid, still more asleep than awake, hadn't moved an inch while making his inquiry. Letting out a breath in resignation, Tyler answered, "To the vending. Do you want anything?"

There was a grumble in which Tyler took as a 'whatever.'

While making his way down the silent halls, Tyler felt an eerie shiver at the small of his back. It never completely took hold, but he could feel the tension of it rising with every step he took. Turning into the small room where soda machines and snack vendings were placed, Tyler pulled out three quarters and observed his options.

Aluminum fell down into the opening with a loud clang that was a ripple in the dark silence in which the building was curtained in. Reaching down to pick up his desired drink, a new tension began to settle at the back of his neck. Adrenaline began to rush through his veins, creating a tingling feeling in his fingertips.

Turning swiftly to catch whatever being he felt behind him, Tyler found another lighted soda machine. His heart continued to drum in his ears as his eyes scanned the dark corners that surrounded him.

There was nothing.

With wary eyes looking all about him, Tyler returned back to the dorm room. After a full hour of contemplation and another half hour after finishing his soda, Tyler settled down into the sheets of his bed in a final attempt to fall asleep.

--

_'__Know__...__See__...__Enemy__...__Tonight__...Kitten!' _Josie sighed in frustration and threw her pen down on the notepad she'd been writing on. "Too hard!" She yelled while jabbing both her index fingers at the words for emphasis.

The alarm clock on her nightstand went off, and immediately, Amanda's hand slammed down on the loud noise. Josie turned a curious eye on her roommate, but didn't think much of it as she grudgingly picked up her papers and shoved them into her school bag. She'd just turn in what she had done, even if it wasn't much.

There were twenty minutes to get ready for first period. Sighing, she pushed herself up and picked up the school uniform she'd left in a heap by her bed.

--

The sky was dark outside, bringing with it great chances of rain. First class passed ever so slowly, and Josie grudgingly found that she couldn't exactly fall asleep without someone waking her.

In the passings between first class and second, Josie found Evelyn and stuck to her side throughout the hour.

"What's up with you?" Evelyn questioned curiously.

Josie shook her head as she began to pack up her things. "I'm not sure. I feel like someone's-I don't know; but I think someone's watching me."

Evelyn's eyebrows rose at the statement. "It's freaking you out?"

Josie scratched the the top of her head as they walked. "Well yeah. I don't like the feeling of someone watching me, it's like; 'Hello person get a life.'" Letting out a frustrated breath as she shook her head, Josie decided to remain silent on the subject.

Evelyn looked up thoughtfully. "I don't know. Having someone watch you...kinda flattering."

Josie frowned and grumbled, "Well great. They can watch you then."

The two parted ways; one headed to a classroom a few doors away, the other to a stairway that led to the first floor. As Evelyn headed down the stairs at a brisk pace, her foot skidded right off the edge of a step. Her book flew from her hand as she grabbed the railing to keep from completely falling and hurting herself.

A group of girls walked by, oblivious to her presence as they talked about another party that was coming up. Waiting until they exited the narrow staircase, Evelyn pulled herself back on her feet and readjusted her school bag. She intended to retrieve her book when it was suddenly held before her face. Reflexively taking the book and muttering a thanks, she looked up at the retriever.

"Books are meant to be read," Was what he said in reply. "Not thrown." And with that, he passed her, continuing up the stairway.

Evelyn stood still for a moment, surprised at the rudeness. "Do people not know how to say a simple 'you're welcome' these day?" She grumbled to herself, continuing her descent down the stairs.

--

Tyler sat in his third class, absently rubbing his pen between his thumb and index finger. By the time he settled into a relaxed state like his buddy Reid, he knew he would be called on to answer a question. It almost always happened. Reid's twitching fingers caught Tyler's attention, removing his eyes from the chalk board the professor was using.

What the hell was bugging Reid? He was able to sleep peacefully through the night and Tyler was pretty sure for the last two periods as well. He'd heard something about an argument the night before from Caleb, but Reid had just blown it off, saying it didn't matter.

"Mr. Simms."

Reid's head shot up and Tyler sighed deeply. Here it is. "Read passage forty to forty-three."

Josie smirked, wondering what he'd been doing to get himself called on. Probably what she had done to be called on before him. Then, she felt it again. She felt goosebumps rise on her arms under the white sleeves of the school uniform. The hairs rose at the back of her neck and her cheeks began to flush as her hands became sweaty.

Her cheeks only flushed when she was embarrassed or shy; she was neither at the moment. The only time she ever had goosebumps was when she was cold; and although she was wearing a skirt, she wasn't cold. She had no explanation for the hairs at the back of her neck; that's why she settled for guessing someone was watching her.

But, the only person she shared her first three classes with was Tyler, and he was busy reading so it couldn't be him. Maybe there was someone else she didn't know in all three classes? She could've sworn she'd talked or seen everyone at least once.

This was frustrating beyond belief! Flattering her ass, this was harassment. Who the heck was watching her?! Her eyes glanced around the bored people that populated the classroom, but couldn't find a single person paying her any special attention. That is, until she turned back to the front and met the stern stare of the professor. Oh crap. Was she going to have to read again?

"Thank you, Mr. Simms. Now, Miss Gellar..."

Damn it.

--

The bell rang for fourth period and Josie couldn't wait for the day to be over. Today was a Friday, right? No wonder the day was taking forever to finish.

Five minutes into the class and Evelyn could barely concentrate on what was being said; a random song was playing over and over inside her head. She assumed it to be from the movie 'The Wedding Singer,' seeing as that was the last time she'd heard an eighties song.

Sighing, she lazily scrawled pieces of the lyrics that came to mind in the notebook before her. As her eyes were cast downward, a sudden movement before her caught her attention. She peered up through her lashes and noticed Josie, who was sitting in the seat in front of hers, had become tense. Evelyn straightened up in her seat and glanced over her cousin in concern.

"Still feel like someone is watching you?" Evelyn inquired as they both made their way out of class after the bell rang. Josie quickly glanced at Evelyn before averting her gaze to the floor.

"Why, do you feel it too?" She questioned, hoping she wasn't going nuts over nothing. Regrettably, Evelyn silently shook her head. Hn. Maybe she was doomed to go crazy alone. "I'm going to take a walk outside. I don't feel like heading back to the dorm yet."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Josie shrugged. "If you want; I don't care."

--

After getting caught in the rain on their outdoor walk, the girls decided a warm shower would be nice and separated to their rooms to collect clothes and towels. Josie arrived at the girls' shower room first and after waiting five minutes with her hair still dripping wet from the rain, she went ahead and stepped inside.

Evelyn had entered an empty dorm room and guessed that Alexis was out with her boyfriend for the evening. As she gathered a pair of jogging pants and a cotton jersey, the lamp light flickered behind her.

Closing her dresser drawer, Evelyn stared over at the lamp curiously. She was about to step forward to investigate when she stopped herself and shook her head. '_Leave it alone._' Suddenly a shiver passed throughout her body, causing her to turn swiftly towards the door. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears and her breaths were shallow.

The room was deathly quiet, holding Evelyn in place for a good minute. "Move, move, move, you'll check it out later." Evelyn forced herself out the door and took quick paces towards the showers.

As she was about to step in, Josie stepped out, attired in loose gym shorts and a bright tank top. "Finally you show up." Josie remarked sarcastically before being pulled back into the shower room by her cousin. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing. Just gave myself the freak out right now." Evelyn hurriedly answer as she dropped her clothes onto the dry floor of one shower stall before stepping in herself.

"You what?" Josie asked in confusion.

"Scared myself, Jos." Evelyn clarified.

Josie leaned against one of the sinks and glanced around the tiled room. "Could've just said that." She grumbled. Feeling a sudden chill run passed her, Josie clutched onto her towel and clothes tighter than before and took a deep breath.

Thunder ominously shook the building as the lights began to flicker, causing both girls to tense.

"Ev. Okay. Don't freak out." Josie spoke out as her eyes kept a wary watch on her surroundings.

"What?" Evelyn's voice sounded from behind the stall door, full of dread.

"Hurry. Your butt up. So we can get out of her and not get stuck in the dark."

Evelyn gave a 'hn' in return as she quickly finished up. Just as she turned the knob to shut off the water, the lights in the shower room gave out, draping them in darkness.

"Fuck." Josie's voice echoed around them.

Evelyn rolled her eyes. "Nice Jos."

"Oh. Sorry. Shit." Josie corrected.

After Evelyn stepped out from the stall, she and Josie kept up silly conversations to both find each other and keep from submitting to childish fear.

"See, you should carry a flashlight with you." Josie was saying.

"Oh yeah. Uh-huh. And where would you like me to keep it, Jos; my ass?"

"Don't tell me what you keep down there. I don't wanna know."

As they stepped out into the hall they found that it was just as dark, except for the lawn lamps that shined through the windows.

"Maybe it was just the restroom lights that went out?" Josie suggested into the silence.

"I guess..." Evelyn trailed off as she slowly began to walk down the hall. "But you know, if this were a scary movie..."She found she couldn't continue when she felt Josie cling onto her arm.

"Shut up with that crap or I'll hurt you." Josie threatened, failing to mask the uneasiness in her tone. This only pulled a laugh from the other.

"You see, the bad guy would be lurking in the shadows, waiting for the opportune moment to strike..."

Josie grumbled. "You're just going to end up scaring yourself."

"Sure. Whatever." Evelyn smiled knowingly at Josie which served to aggravate the girl more.

"I don't _ever_ want to be stuck with you in the dark again, you hear me?"

The lights did turn on when they entered their dorms, and both dismissed the restroom incident as a temporary shortage on the whole building. To think of any other not so innocent possibility was not an option.

--

_A/N: Did you like it? Yes? No? Review please! This is just me, but I hope you enjoyed it. )_


	7. Emotion

* * *

Thank you to those who are still reading my story! I know there aren't as much as when I first started, so it makes me appreciate you guys all the more. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope you continue reading my slow progression of a story. Heheh. Please leave a comment, it would give me more of a jump to get the chapters out to you.

Much love!

Oh, and there may be a point in the story where you'll probably start to wonder, "What does this have to do with anything?" I have no explanation for my madness. The characters just took on a life of their own. I'm kind of nervous on this chapter, so PLEASE let me know how I did.

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Emotion**

Three weeks since the last party. Three weeks since Josie spoke with Tyler one on one. And two weeks before midterms.

Quietly, the young teen walked through the afternoon lit halls towards the library. Evelyn had locked herself away in a small study room there, only leaving when she had to; making it difficult for Josie to talk to her. But, she needed to talk with her. She was afraid of going mad if she didn't.

"Josie!" A voice called from down the hall behind her. Stopping in her tracks, called girl closed her eyes as the nearing voice continued to call out her name.

Turning an annoyed gaze around to her caller, Josie was a bit curious to find Amanda before her still dressed in her athletic gear.

"What?" The girl whispered fiercely.

"You have to come."

"What-"

"Right now, come on!" Amanda grabbed Josie's hand and began to pull her down the hallway.

"Why?" Josie snapped, pulling out of Amanda's grip and glaring at the girl.

"Because some chick is trying to take your man. I say you go over there and kick her ass!" Amanda spoke hurriedly and again began to pull on the confused teen.

"Woah-what?" Josie pulled back again, emitting a low groan from her roommate. "What do you mean, 'my man?' I don't have a man."

Amanda's eyes remained determined as she placed her hands on her hips. "Aren't you and Tyler a couple yet?"

Blood rushed to Josie's cheeks as anger boiled in the pit of her stomach. "The hell? No we're not a couple. Where would you get that idea? I don't even talk to him." The words had left her lips in a rush, leaving her a little breathless at the end.

Amanda's face cleared of any determination she had had as she crossed her arms and took on the stance of an interrogator. "You've talked with him before, though..."

"Like twice!"

"Then you don't like him?"

Eyes widening and jaw clamped shut, Josie suddenly felt her insides twist. This didn't go unnoticed by the athlete as a sly smile slid across her face. 'Aha, we have a winner,' she thought with a chuckle.

"I don't even know him." Josie answered defensively. "I'm going to the library now." She inclined her head in the direction behind her.

Amanda sighed. "You know, every girl that's ever transferred to this school, within a week at the most, develops a crush on one of the boys."

If Josie didn't pay attention to the annoying voices in class everyday, she would have had no clue as to who Amanda was talking about. But she did, so she knew. "Everyone?" She asked skeptically.

"Yup. My personal favorite was Caleb." Amanada recalled with a dreamy sigh.

Officially weirded out, Josie decided she needed to end the conversation. "Well, great. Why don't you go ahead and set up one of those girls with Tyler?" She had meant it to be rhetorical, but Amanda answered anyway.

"Because I hate all those other girls."

No movement was really made except the lifting of Josie's right brow.

"It's not like any of them like me, so why should I like them?" She breezily defended.

"Why?" Josie couldn't help but ask.

Amanda shrugged. "I'm sure you've heard them referring to me as a slut; that's basically all the ammunition girls here need and guys want. Word of advice, don't get involved with Aaron Abbott. That guy is not worth all the drama he produces."

"Girls hate you because you went out with him?"

Amanda's eyes trailed up to the ceiling as she chose her words. "He has a reputation of his own, which I'm sure you've heard of, and...well..." Suddenly realizing they were still in a hallway with some students passing, Amanda decided to stop talking. "I've gotta go get changed. Can't run around like this all the time-more rumors might spread." She stage whispered the last part before turning and hurrying back to the gym.

"Oh yeah!" Amanda turned and yelled. "You and Tyler all the way!!" She jeered enthusiastically, gaining a blush from her roommate.

"Oh my God-just go!" Josie hollered back before lifting her arm to cover her embarrassed face. Laughing, Amanda turned the corner out of sight.

Hearing the curious murmurs of a group of girls behind her, Josie immediately desired a rock to crawl under and hide. Dropping her arm from her face, she was about to head back towards the library when Tyler appeared from the same corner Amanda had turned. Bright blue met hazelnut brown for a second, but it was enough. His eyes were burning in embarrassment which added to her own horror.

Quickly spinning on her heel and breaking through the group of girls, Josie hastily made her way for the library.

As he saw the startled girl, Josie run down the hall, Tyler couldn't help the stronger wave of embarrassment that washed over him. He knew Reid was smirking beside him, could feel his silent chuckles. He wanted to growl out a threat for Reid not even to start with the joking, but wasn't willing to trust his voice at the moment.

Reid had teased him before; apparently Tyler couldn't have any kind of conversation with a girl without romantic feelings involved. If the wanted growl came out as a low mumble, he'd be giving his friend way more ammunition than needed.

"So," Reid began casually, making Tyler want to groan. "Does Baby Boy _really_ have a girlfriend? I must say, this is news to me." Placing an arm around Tyler's shoulders, Reid enjoyed the boy's tense form in response to his words.

"Lay off it, Reid." Tyler managed to grind out between his teeth, shrugging away from the other's hold.

"What?" Reid played the innocent tone though his eyes were shining in mischief. "Come on now, its not every day the baby grows up."

Tyler kept his jaw clenched shut and his pace even, intentionally ignoring his friend. The blond's eyes darkened for a moment though he blew the situation off and continued on as though nothing had happened. "So, what do you need at the library?" He questioned.

Tyler rolled his eyes. They _both_ needed a book from the library, Reid just didn't care enough to listen to homework assignments.

--

"That's it! I give up." Evelyn sighed as she slammed a book down in frustration. Her mind was on overload from all the English terms, rhetoric devices, and calculus formulas. She needed to stop. She needed a break. She needed a freaking life!

Rubbing that last thought from her list as she did the sleep from her eyes, Evelyn stood up and gathered her school bag. She had full intentions of leaving when her cousin suddenly burst through the door to the study room.

"Are you done studying?" The words left Josie's mouth in a jumble.

"Yes! Let's ge-"

"Good, I need to talk to you." Josie interrupted as she shut the door behind her. What Evelyn had been about to say was, "Let's get the hell out of here." But, Josie didn't need to know that.

Evelyn tiredly dropped her school bag back onto the table. "What's up?" She sighed.

"Did-you-have-a-crush-on-anyone-when-you-first-transferred-here?" Josie questioned without hesitance.

Evelyn's face dropped. "What?"

The other teen calmed herself before she spoke again. "Did you have a crush on anyone when you first transferred here?"

As her mouth closed and her eyebrows drew together in confusion, Evelyn considered the thought. "Yeah. I guess. Why?"

"Who was it?" Josie prodded, ignoring her cousin's question.

Evelyn's jaw clenched in show of her stubborness rising. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because I just do. Tell me, please? It's not like I'm going to tell anyone."

"You knowing would already be one too many." Evelyn remarked dryly.

Josie remained silent, waiting for an answer. Her eyes connected with the dark brown of Evelyn's, which only served to make her snap. "I'm not telling, Jos. Forget it."

"Come on! Why not?"

Thoughts began to click together as Evelyn tried to find a way out of answering. "Are you asking because you like someone?"

"Of course." Josie shrugged, pulling a frown from the other girl.

Groaning, Evelyn dropped back into her seat and let her head fall onto her school bag. Her face was hidden as she said a name. Josie leaned towards the table. "What'd you say?"

The girl's muffled answer sounded again but was interrupted by Josie's irritated voice. "Dude, just pick up your head and tell me."

Lifting her head, Evelyn revealed the pained expression on her face. "You know Tyler, right?" Josie stiffly nodded. "Okay. Not him." Evelyn sighed, pretending to not notice Josie visibly relax.

"Then who-his brother?"

"He has a brother?"

"...Don't change the subject."

"I didn't..."

"Well forget about it. Just answer my question already." Josie's voice ordered impatiently.

"Okay," Evelyn chuckled lightly. "His roommate."

"Who's his roommate?" Josie questioned, trying to recall a face to that title.

Running a hand through her hair, Evelyn hinted with, "The blond one."

Chestnut colored eyes moved back and forth as the owner absently tapped her lower lip in thought. "The Garwin guy?" She questioned incredulously.

Resting her head in her upturned palm, Evelyn replied with, "Yup, that one. For like a day. Why'd you want to know?"

"How can it be him? Have you ever even talked with him?"

Shrugging, the girl answered, "A couple of times."

"Name one." Josie didn't buy it. There was no way her cousin could have fallen for _another_ blond.

"Jos." Evelyn leaned forward. "Why do you want to know?"

Dropping into an extra seat in front of her, Josie slumped and pouted. "Because, I think I've fallen victim to a horrid disease that every transfer girl gets."

"What? Loss of innocence?"

Josie lifted her head, making sure that her cousin was indeed joking. That would have been a scary discovery, she thought to herself. Folding her arms on the table, Josie nestled her head down into them, groaning slightly.

Evelyn watched her cousin for a moment and after realizing the teen wasn't going to speak again, she stood and pulled her out of the study room.

--

Lying on the covers of her bed with both hands resting under her head, Evelyn stared up at the ceiling in thought. The fan rotated back and forth, its hum a calming sound in the otherwise silent dorm room. Having not felt like being in a bright place when she had entered the room, Evelyn left all the lights off. The blinds at the window were drawn, letting the dim light from outside filter in.

She had walked Josie back to her own dorm, promising that she would be over later to hang out and do whatever. The smaller brunette hadn't said much of anything to that, she was too lost in her own thoughts to show she really cared.

Evelyn let out an audible sigh as a particular cool August night suddenly came to mind. '_Too long ago to think of right now._' She interrupted herself before rolling over onto her stomach and looking out the window. As she buried her cheek into the plush white pillow, her mind went against her will and continued to visualize that lit and populated mansion. The laughing girls, wild boys, and 'serious' couples...

"Evelyn, you locked the door again!" Alexis called through the door.

Snapping her eyes from the window, Evelyn twisted in bed, doing her best to quickly get up towards the door. When Alexis was finally let in, after receiving an apology from Evelyn, she walked straight towards her desk and balled herself up on the seat with her head resting on her knees.

Staring at her roommate in concern, Evelyn stepped up just beside Alexis, unsure of what to say for the moment. Alexis' eyes were brimming with tears, but she didn't let them fall, her cheeks were flushed where the rest of her face was pale, and her hands were wringing themselves white.

"Alexis...?"

Blue eyes remained on some spot on the floor as a sob escaped her lips. Evelyn knelt down before her and pushed a stray strand of hair away from the heated face. Alexis shook her head. Her eyes closed and tears finally fell from her lashes.

"What happened?" Evelyn voiced softly.

"I'm not...I'm not...s-sure..." The trembling voice answered.

A knock sounded at the door, followed by a guilty low voice calling Alexis' name. This pulled Alexis from her somewhat calm state by moving her quickly to her feet and away from the door, her arms and lips trembling just as badly as she had spoken. Evelyn stood up as well, looking from Alexis to the door in confusion.

"Alexis, come on...open the door." Evelyn recognized the voice to be Tom, Alexis' boyfriend.

Fighting back another sob, the small girl brought her shaking fists to her face and began to back into a wall. Her head continued to shake slightly, cluing Evelyn that she did not want to talk with him. Confusion and concern swirled in her entire being as she watched her friend curl into herself again.

"Alexis..." Evelyn gently called out.

"Alexis." Tom called again followed by another knock.

"Hold on a minute." Evelyn ordered, turning back to the door so as to make sure he heard her. Making it back to her roommate's side, Evelyn lightly placed her hands over hers. "Sweety, you need to tell me what happened."

--

Evelyn stepped up to the door and hesitated a moment. Alexis had calmed somewhat, and after two hours, cried herself to sleep. She lay quietly on Evelyn's bed, tears still stained her flushed cheeks. After glancing back at her roommate, Evelyn's resolution was firm. She opened the door only enough to slip out and quietly shut it behind her.

Tom still stood in the hallway. His green eyes were full of concern and guilt as he stepped away from the wall he'd been leaning against and looked to Evelyn. He remained silent, waiting for what she had to say. He knew, she could either let him in or send him away. He hoped for the first.

Standing up to her full height, she regarded him with a stern gaze. His brown hair was mussy, meaning he must've been running his hands through it often; and his hands were clenched into fists from the tension he no doubt felt.

"You should go." The words were bitter in her mouth. At one point she had honestly believed she wouldn't have ever had to say those words to him. But there they stood, with her best friend lying in their room with a broken heart. She had no choice.

"How is she?" Tom questioned in a low voice.

Evelyn took in a slight breath and calmly regarded him again. "She's asleep." She replied shortly. "She's not up for talking tonight."

His features darkened as he both physically and emotionally took a step back. His green eyes turned cold and unreadable. "I have to talk with her. And it has to be tonight."

It was quiet between them as other students exited their dorm rooms and walked down the halls, glancing at them in a moment's curiosity. Evelyn was unsure of what else to say. She should hate this guy for hurting her friend the way he did and not let him anywhere near Alexis. But, she had grown fond of the two as a couple and loved how he made Alexis happy. She wanted nothing more than for things to be okay between the two.

"Why'd you do it?" Evelyn finally voiced. Her confusion and hurt was carefully masked, though concern was evident.

"It's nothing she thinks. I know how her mind works and I know what she would've seen, but it's not true." Desperation was slipping into his green gaze as he tried to persuade Evelyn, who painfully chewed at her own lip. "You know me. Damn it. You know I would never _dream_ of hurting Alexis."

"You did." Evelyn shot coldly.

Tom took a deep breath to calm himself. "I know I did. But I need to make this right. Just let me in, please."

"If you pull anything, I'll kick my foot so far up your ass my toes will come out your mouth, you hear me?" Evelyn threatened with a glare.

--

Calloused fingers brushed lightly across a softly moist cheek. Eyelids slowly lifted, revealing a pair of blurred blue eyes resting beneath dark lashes. Recognition slipped into the bright blue as they stared back into solemn green. Soft lips parted in question, but a rough finger gently rested against them as green broke the connection for a moment. When they connected again, tears began to slip through the eyes of blue. Small covered arms wrapped around a strong neck as firm arms slipped around a slim waist and the two embraced.

Evelyn leaned against a wall farthest from the two with her arms crossed and her features dark. They were going to make up. Alexis was going to be okay. Evelyn found that her bottom lip pouted in a brooding manner and quickly tucked it back to where it belonged as she pushed away from the wall.

"You remember what I said, Johnson." Evelyn warned before heading towards the door. Having had many friends with boyfriends in the past, she knew when it was her time to leave a couple alone. She stepped out into the hall and sighed, leaning against the door for a moment. Tilting her head to the side as if listening to what was being said behind the door, a small smile flitted its way across her face, before disappearing. Why did these moments always have to remind her of what she didn't have?

Leaning away from the door, the silent teen made her way for her cousin's dorm.

--

Amanda wasn't in the room tonight. It was fine. Josie didn't feel like putting up with anymore teasing. She was about to pull out her cell phone to text a friend back home when the lamp on her nightstand began to flicker. Drawing her eyebrows up together in suspicion, the girl slowly put the phone down as she leaned towards the lamp itself.

Flicking the cool base with her fingertips, a slight frown slipped onto her face. It wasn't flickering anymore. Goosebumps began to rise on her arms making Josie tense in place. Her eyes surveyed the room warily but found nothing out of the ordinary.

Pulling away from the lamp, Josie picked up her cell again in an attempt to ignore the eerie feeling that arrived so suddenly. What added to her uneasiness was the unexpected lack of cell reception. '_What the hell? Zero bars? It was full a moment ago..._'

Slowly, she began to feel her face heat up and her stomach uncharacteristically turned. Quickly flipping her legs over the side of the bed, Josie stood up and away from the walls that had been behind her. Still clutching her almost useless cell phone (after all, she could throw it at someone), she began to cautiously head towards the door.

Turning her back on the room, Josie's fingers lightly wrapped around the door knob. However, just before they could turn it, there was a light tingle at the back of her neck.

_'Look at me...' _

Josie's eyes widened as she began to feel her legs slightly shake.

_'Look at me.'_ The call was more demanding, but the girl kept her back turned and her eyes focused on the door knob and her now white fingers.

--

Tyler walked along the dark hallway with Reid; both had their hands shoved in their jacket pockets, and both had their gazes on anything but each other. They were on their way to Nicky's bar for a little friendly pool. It had been Tyler's suggestion seeing as how his friend was still not completely himself.

It was irritating beyond belief that Reid wouldn't tell him what was going on. They've had their little spouts of arguments over it that always ended with Reid blowing the whole thing off and Tyler biting back rude comments. There was tension between them even as they walked on opposite sides of the hallway.

"Hey," Reid's voice broke the silence, catching the attention of his roommate.

Tyler made it a point to keep his gaze fixed ahead. "What?"

A dorm room door was thrust open startling both boys as a body ran straight into Tyler, hands instantly clinging to his jacket. Tyler grabbed the shoulders of the body in an attempt to pull away from them but stopped when he saw their face.

"There's someone in my room." Josie immediately reported in a slightly trembling manner. Her eyes shot back to the door from which she had burst from. Not sensing the confusion of both boys, she didn't hesitate to start pushing the one she had a grip on towards the door. "There's someone in there." She repeated, interrupting any voice of question.

Tyler stared down at her curiously but she wouldn't look at him. She had managed to get him to the door; with her hands on his arm she stood behind him peeking around his shoulder.

"What do you want me to do?" Tyler questioned, annoyance seeping into his voice.

"Find out who's in there!" Josie retorted as if that were the simplest thing in the world.

Glancing back at Reid, he found the teen with both his eyebrows raised and a hand held out of his pocket in questioning.

"You want me to check your room?" Tyler clarified turning back to the girl behind him.

Looking up into his face for the first time, Josie blinked and took a step back from him. "You don't believe me?" Although it sounded like a question, it could've easily been mistaken as an accusation.

Mutely, the Simms teen looked to the floor and with his jaw set, he stepped into the room. Josie cautiously followed without a glance back at the silent Garwin.

Evelyn arrived at the scene just in time to witness her cousin follow Tyler into the dorm room. Reid looked up at the extra presence and let out an impatient breath while turning away.

"What's going on?" She inquired coming to a stop five feet away from both him and the door. Shrugging, Reid merely lifted a hand towards the room then dropped it, feeling that would be explanation enough. Nodding in bitter understanding that he wasn't going to say anything, Evelyn stepped up to the room herself.

"Josie?" Evelyn called into the room halting the words she didn't know were being spoken between the two. Josie turned her head to look over her shoulder towards her cousin while Tyler kept his head towards the window, his gaze low.

"Ev, someone was in my room." Josie spoke with an edge, hinting that she had just been arguing this point.

"Who?" Evelyn demanded.

Raising her shoulders, the teen glanced around her room. "I don't know. But there _was_ someone."

Silently making his way across the room, Tyler left with the words, "There's no one here."

Josie glared at the boy's back as he and Reid continued their walk. "Someone was here, damn it! I don't need you to tell me if there was!" Josie yelled angrily after him.

"Was there?" Evelyn questioned with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yes!" The girl snapped.

"Then why are you seeking his approval on the matter?"

"I don't...know." Josie finished in a low mutter before her eyes went back to Evelyn in determination. "There was someone. They kept telling me to look at them!"

"Did you?"

"No! They started yelling so I screamed 'screw you' and ran out of here. That's when I bumped into those losers."

Ignoring the last comment, Evelyn's eyes searched the room for anything sinister or out of place. Her nerves calmed somewhat at not sensing anything threatening.

"I'm not crazy." Josie defended. "Just freaked out."

"I understand that." Evelyn replied lowly. "But Jos...there's no one here except me and you."

"Right now." Josie stated firmly. Seeing her cousin standing there so calm put Josie on the edge. "Stop acting so damn calm and collected and see it from my level, will you!" She ordered heatedly.

"That's what I'm trying to do." Evelyn snapped back. Her eyes moved up to lock with Josie's as she made herself take deep breaths. "That's all that happened? A voice talked to you? There was no touching or anything involved?"

"Hell no." Josie replied vehemently.

"Then, I don't know what to do, Jos..."

"How about freaking out with me? Someone was here. Someone was talking to me, and then they just happen to disappear. Why do I feel like I'm the only one that sees this as a problem?" Josie threw her hands in the air as she began to pace the room.

"Fine, then-..." Evelyn clamped her mouth shut. She couldn't invite Josie back to her room, Alexis and Tom were in there. "Crap." She muttered under her breath as she took a seat on a bed.

"Why are you sitting down?" Josie's eyes glanced over Evelyn's resting form quickly as she awaited an answer. Hearing her cousin sigh sent alarms off in her head. "Don't sit down. Stand up. We have to do something. We've got to get me a room transfer, or my head checked, or..."

"Jos," Evelyn called out to try to calm the teen. "Why...I mean what...What did the voice sound like?"

Josie narrowed her eyes as she chewed her bottom lip in thought. "You mean in terms of nice or scary?" Evelyn nodded. "Evil." She answered plain and simple with only a seconds thought.


	8. Hinting

**Chapter Eight: Hinting**

"Evil." Evelyn repeated with uncertainty. Her eyes looked up at Josie in doubt as her mind flew threw ideas that all led to a dead end. Seeing her cousin's hesitance made Josie's stomach all the more uneasy. '_She doesn't believe me._'

Before any more could be said, a wisp of cool air entered the room as Amanda made her breathless entrance. Leaning in the doorway, her eyes glanced from one cousin to the other. "Hey guys. What's going on?"

Grabbing the opportunity to speak and interrupting Evelyn's chance, Josie quickly answered. "Nothing. Evelyn was just leaving."

Glancing up, Evelyn attempted to catch Josie's gaze, however, the girl did a great job of keeping her attention towards the door. The features of Evelyn's face fell into a scrunched frown.

"Okay, cool. I'm beat." Amanda panted, pushing away from the doorway and heading towards her bed which Evelyn quickly stood up from. Collapsing into the woolen covers, Amanda failed to notice the awkward tension between the cousins as they walked toward the door.

"What are you kicking me out for?" Evelyn demanded in a low voice once she was out in the hall. She turned to face Josie who stopped a few steps behind to stand by the door, her fingers gripping the wood to close.

"Tyler didn't believe me. _You_ don't believe me; might as well keep this little episode to myself now, hm?"

"Josie, come on..." A quirk of Josie's eyebrow was enough to make the words die on Evelyn's lips. "So, what-you're just going to keep this to yourself?"

Remaining silent for a moment in a position of mock thoughtfulness, Josie snapped her eyes to Evelyn and nodded. "Yup. I'm tired now, so I'll talk to you tomorrow." And with that, she swiftly closed the door.

Evelyn stood stiff in silence, taking in the reality that a door had just been slammed in her face. By her cousin! Feeling aggravation grinding on her nerves, Evelyn held her breath to build up all the things she wanted to do before letting it out in a long exhale.

Feeling slightly clearer, Evelyn crossed her arms and chewed the inside of her cheek. Well great. Now where was she supposed to go?

--

Curiosity. It's enough to drive a person mad. Now, in the mind of a teenage girl, it could be ten times worse. Tapping the pencil in a drumming beat, Evelyn brooded as the teacher talked consistently. All night and morning she had been trying to figure out where she stood with Josie and the stranger in her room.

Could it have possibly happened? Josie hearing voices in her head, Evelyn had to admit with a smirk, wouldn't be a first. But then, what if...?

Frustrated once her mind began to feel heavy from the thought, her pencil flew from her fingertips to the front of the class. Right where the teacher's head was.

There was a pregnant pause as the classroom registered what had happened, followed by a few snorts of laughter that were silenced when the teacher whirled his head about. Evelyn felt her face flush as the eyes of the teacher narrowed in her direction. She sank down in her seat and did her best to ignore all the stares that were now directed towards her. Maybe she'd be given more time to think in detention. Not like she had a choice.

--

Sitting in the quiet atmosphere of the library once again, Evelyn found no comfort with the company she had. Another girl, with curling dark hair and a mean green stare, sat across from her. Her complexion was pale, her body slim, and her uniform adjusted in a way that left little room for a teenage boy's imagination. This was the type of girl that usually made Evelyn nervous, though she never dared show it. Past memories of teasings didn't need to be seen by the whole world.

On the table next to theirs, sat a boy who looked to be a junior. With long shaggy hair that covered his eyes and bitten fingernails that scraped the table's surface, he looked as bored as ever. His long body was slouched in the seat, his shoes reaching under the empty chair across from him. Sitting next to that empty chair was, to Evelyn's disbelief, Aaron. But as she thought about it, she figured, why not? He was the one person she wanted to hurt but couldn't; so of course she would end up seeing him everywhere.

Her dark brown eyes moved back to the table top in front of her. They hadn't been given any type of assignment to do while there and she hadn't felt comfortable enough yet to pull out any of her writings to work on. So the four sat in silence.

A sudden popping sound caught the attention of two sets of eyes as they glanced over to the source. Evelyn quickly averted her gaze once she saw that it was just the girl across from her popping a piece of gum, obviously trying to get the attention of one of the guys.

'Congratulations,' Evelyn thought dryly. 'You succeeded.'

Smirking, Aaron silently stood from his seat and sauntered over to the open chair at the girl's side. They whispered together, both openly hitting on the other. Rolling her eyes in disgust, Evelyn leaned down to her school bag and pulled out one of her spirals that was decorated in words and a few doodles. Placing it before her on the table, she quickly dove into the poem she had been trying to finish for about a month already.

About half way through their sentenced time, Evelyn began to notice the few gestures the two people before her were making in her direction. Curiously, she focused on what they were saying.

"So she's a total bitch?" The girl whispered, completely engrossed in their conversation.

Much to Evelyn's dismay, she felt her body tense and her heart rate quicken. Were they talking about her?

"Maybe so. She's always on my case, accusing me of things I haven't done. I swear, sometimes I think she's obsessed with me. Stalking me here at school and at parties..." His eyes then moved up, locking with Evelyn's for a moment before giving her a gloating smirk.

Evelyn felt her fingers tremble slightly as she averted her gaze from his and glared down at her notebook. Not wanting to be apart of whatever they were talking about, Evelyn moved to stand up and go to the other table, but was pushed back down into her seat by a hand on her shoulder.

Startled, she whipped her head to the side and saw Reid silently slide into the chair next to her, slouching in an exaggerated show of his comfortable position. Evelyn glanced over his face wondering what his deal was, before turning back to Aaron, seeing as how Reid's eyes never left him.

"Nice to see you finally decided to join us." Aaron growled low, pulling a smirk from the other.

"You know how it is sometimes. Us star swimmers, we lose track of time under water."

With wary eyes switching from one ego teen to the other, Evelyn was about ready to attempt leaving again when she felt the chair restrained from pushing out. Glancing down, she caught sight of Reid's foot holding one of the legs of her chair in place. When she raised her head again, the girl sitting across from her caught her attention. With the green eyes locked in a furious glare on her, Evelyn suddenly felt she were in some sort of battle with she and Reid on one team and this chick and Aaron as the opponents.

Quickly Evelyn shook that idea from her head and reopened her notebook as they continued talking.

"Easy words coming from a runner up." Aaron seethed, almost leaning over the table.

"You would know wouldn't you. Never having won a solo swim in your life."

"You better watch yourself pretty boy."

Reid's smirk widened as he pushed himself up in his chair to lean over the table as well. "One: completely flattered. Two: I believe you have me confused with Caleb."

"Don't forget three: quit being such an ass." The girl surprised Evelyn by speaking up and turning her piercing glare to Aaron. The boy looked just as surprised as he whipped his head to the side to meet her glare.

The sound of a throat clearing caught all of their attentions and four sets of eyes lifted to see an impatient teacher standing by the staircase watching them. "Seeing as how all of you are getting along so well, this detention is going to be cut short today and be carried over to Saturday." Just as the teacher was about to turn and leave, Reid stood up in one fluid motion.

"Hey, there's a swim meet on Saturday. Can't I just do this tomorrow?"

"There's a teacher conference tomorrow, Reid. You're just going to have to explain to your coach why you'll miss the meet." With that the teacher left, soon followed by the quiet junior. Aaron gave a gloating smirk at Reid before standing up and taking his own leave.

The girl stood up confidently and locked eyes with the agitated swimmer. "You could always skip detention. Make it up another day." She offered in attempt at conversation, receiving only a wary glance in return.

Silently closing her notebook again, Evelyn found relief in finally being able to leave her seat. Without a word or glance to either person beside her, she made her way for the exit. Hoping there was a place she could go to be alone, she almost didn't hear someone calling out the words, "Hold on a minute."

Slowing in her footsteps, Evelyn looked back over her shoulder and saw Reid making his way towards her, his face in a scowl. As he caught up to her side, he nudged her arm in signal to keep on walking. Mutely complying, she gave him a side glance in questioning, waiting for him to say something.

"You know they were talking shit about you." He let out in a low grumble.

Evelyn's jaw clenched as she glowered at the floor. Out of all the curses that wanted to fly out of her mouth, all she could say was, "Figured as much."

Reid glanced at her, a sour look on his face. "You let people do that right in front of you and don't say anything?" He questioned accusingly.

Pulling the library door open, Evelyn considered any answer to give to that, deciding to ignore the curiosity as to why the hell he cared. "Like I care what he says about me." That was obviously a lie. By the sound of Reid's scoff, he knew it too.

Keeping her eyes straight in a resolution to not look at him, Evelyn came up with a different approach. "How much of their conversation did you hear?"

"Enough." He replied shortly.

"Which would be..?"

"What am I, your secret agent? You were sitting there, you should know."

Evelyn scoffed, mimicking his previous one. "You're giving my attention span for Aaron too much credit."

"Well that's your problem."

Letting out an impatient breath, Evelyn stopped walking and turned to face Reid who in turn did the same. "If you're here to take out your frustration over your swim meet on me, I suggest doing it on someone else. Seriously."

Stuffing his hands into his pants pockets, Reid stared down at Evelyn in an arrogant manner. "I was actually waiting for some kind of gratitude." The blond defended.

Taking a mental step back, Evelyn searched his face in questioning. "Gratitude for what?"

A frown marred Reid's lips as he took in Evelyn's truly oblivious expression.

"Reid!" A voice called from down the hall. Both turned to see Tyler standing a few feet away looking rather impatient. "We have to go."

Reid's expression hardened and his shoulders tensed. "Fine." He ground out between clenched teeth. Leaving without a word, he followed his roommate back down the hall. When the two were out of her sight, Evelyn let out a low breath.

Glancing at her surroundings, Evelyn realized that she had been walking in the wrong direction to get to her dorm room. Turning on her heel to head back to the stair case, she stopped short when she found the girl from before standing down the hall just a few feet away with crossed arms and a now familiar glare.

Officially weirded out, Evelyn ignored the girl and continued on down the hall. Some girls at the school could be seriously scary when it came to guys.

--

Ever walked around feeling like a ten pound bowling ball was attached to your chest? Before waking up that morning, Josie hadn't. But as she had pulled herself from bed, she'd almost collapsed from the extra strain on her body. Sitting with a dazed expression, staring at her small toes, she tried to recall some reason for feeling so exhausted.

She hadn't come up with anything. Even in her classes she couldn't think of much except for the rising temperature in the classrooms, which she found strange since everyone around her looked as cool as could be.

Once the day was finally over, Josie didn't even bother going to her dorm. Making a bee line through the other students, Josie headed straight for the women's shower room. Dropping her school bag and books down on the floor, she quickly removed the school jacket, blouse, socks, shoes, and skirt. Turning on the water to its coldest temperature, she gasped harshly as it hit her heated body all at once. Running shaky hands over her face and eventually the rest of her body, Josie couldn't help but notice how she still seemed to feel heated on the inside. Greedily she opened her mouth and gulped down the water she could before filling her mouth, shaking it around and spitting it back out.

Sarah and Kate were walking back to their dorm room after the last class, laughing over a story of one of the boys doing something silly. When they came across the girls' showers, Sarah hesitated, remembering she had left one of her necklaces there the night before.

"I'll catch up with you." She promised her roommate who responded with an, "Okay."

She hadn't expected anyone to be there right after classes, and decided to sneak in and out without catching the person's attention. As she tiptoed to the open stall she had been in the night before, she heard shallow breathing coming from the occupied one.

The water helped somewhat. Before stepping out of the shower, Josie realized that there weren't any extra towels hanging around and leaned her head against the wet tiled wall as she tried to think. Deciding to just take off the white tank top she was wearing over her bra, she used the wet material to dab her wet skin. Still dripping wet in her school uniform, Josie stepped out of the stall, immediately startled when she saw Sarah standing just a few feet away.

"I'm sorry." The blond apologized hastily. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's...all right." Josie replied, after catching her breath and steadying her already throbbing heart.

"Are you okay?" Sarah questioned, taking a concerned step toward the drenched girl who wouldn't make eye contact.

Nodding vigorously, Josie concentrated on the sleeves of the school jacket she held in her arms. "I'm fine. I just...really needed a shower, you know?" She attempted a smirk which pulled a weak smile from Sarah who nodded though obviously didn't understand.

"You look flushed, maybe you should go to the nurse." Sarah offered, making Josie feel all the more uncomfortable. She must've looked like crap for someone to say that.

"I think I'm just going to lay down. I'm tired as hell." Josie replied, taking a few short shaky steps towards the door. A trail of dripping water followed her as she went.

Sarah turned to watch her go before trying again. "Let me know if you need anything."

Stopping as she opened the door, Josie looked back with a small smile and nodded. "Sure." Walking down the hallway, which was thankfully empty of anyone else, Josie knew she wouldn't be able to ask for anything. She couldn't even figure out what needed to be fixed herself.

--

After doing a pretty good job of avoiding Evelyn (it was actually easier than she first anticipated) Josie lay in her bed, curled up in a ball. Her covers were thrown on the floor, her body too hot to be covered by anything else but the pajamas she wore, and the ceiling fan was on as high as it could go. As she felt the sick feeling of sweat on her forehead, she wondered briefly if she had a fever. These were the normal symptoms for one, but she just couldn't wrap her mind around it.

Her eyes felt swollen and watery, they longed to be closed and done with the day. Deciding to just give in, even though the clock radio only read seven thirty, Josie let her eyelids close. Not a moment too soon, she felt herself falling back into a dark ebyss known as the dream world.


	9. Change

**Chapter Nine: Change**

_Floating in a dark abyss where silence is both deafening and suffocating is never a great feeling. Josie soon came to this conclusion as darkness surrounded her in waves and claustrophobia became a heightened emotion. Then, a laughter tore through the silence like lightning through air, causing the teen's heart rate to increase rapidly._

_The urge to escape surged through her, though she found that it took great strength to merely move her finger, let alone speak. "Identify yourself." She was able to call out, later feeling the oddness of actually using such a phrase. _

"_But scaring people is so much more fun." The voice of a male registered in her mind. Josie's vision became hazy, making her blink hard several times before things were clear again. Then, the voice had a body. A blurry one, but she was able to make out that whoever he was, he was definitely larger than herself. Slowly he floated his way towards her, a playful smirk on his face._

"_Who are you?" Josie almost croaked; there were unexplained tears in her throat. _

"_Me? Well, my dear," The man started with a gentleman like voice before his blurred face turned back to her, suddenly dark and menacing. "I'm your worst nightmare."_

"_...What do you want?" Josie pursued, her voice nearly failing her. The male chuckled in mockery. _

"_What I am here for," A fuzzy hand slid down the curve of her face, though she felt no touch. "Is you. Your service, to me. You may be fighting me now, dear, but trust me. My being here in your dreams is proof enough that it wont be long until you are completely mine."_

_--_

Evelyn woke up that morning as graceful as ever, with her face meeting the carpeted floor. After picking herself up and preparing for the first day of the Christmas holidays, Evelyn decided to head on over to her cousin's room. It had been several days since that night in Josie's room and Evelyn found it rather awkward around her abnormally quiet cousin. Josie consistently refused to speak of anything to her, and the silent treatment was unnerving to say the least.

Pulling on her loose cotton jacket, Evelyn made her way down the hall towards the now familiar dorm room, her mind working through ways to approach the slowly becoming stranger.

"Cortez." A voice called from a stairwell she passed.

Another abnormality as of late; the Garwin teen had been making unusual frequent visits to her unextravagant life. Of course, they were hardly ever in front of other students whenever he did; wouldn't want to mess up that punk reputation by spending time with a 'larger than most girls' bookworm.

Evelyn felt in no mood to be further confused by the guy's strange interest and kept her stride even, dutifully ignoring his call.

"Hey," Reid called again, a note of irritation laced in his voice.

Letting out an impatient breath, Evelyn swiftly turned back toward her caller, almost causing a collision since Reid hadn't expected her to stop so suddenly. Taking a cautionary step back, Evelyn looked up toward Reid, "What?" She questioned.

"Where are you going?" He inquired with an impatient air of his own.

Evelyn stared up at him, her expression hard. "Washington. Why?"

"Because we need to talk."

"About....?"

"Your cousin."

If Evelyn weren't currently worried about her cousin in question, she would have laughed. She had wondered if the only reason Reid had been paying attention to her was because he wanted to get with Josie. Sounded very movie like in some very outstretched way. However, he could have just gone through Amanda...oh wait, those two were previously together...so that would have been awkwardness in itself.

Realizing that she had mentally wondered off topic, Evelyn snapped her attention back to the teen before her. "What about my cousin?"

Reid's eyes surveyed the area around them before stepping around Evelyn and nudging her arm so that they could walk. Rolling her eyes, Evelyn swung her leg around to face the direction she had been heading in before.

Clouds darkened the sky outside, making the stairwell he led her to ominous and a little chilling. Closing the stairwell door, Reid trapped them in a corner of darkness with few light filtering in from the skylight above.

"What's up?" Evelyn questioned, wrapping her arms across her midsection.

Reid slowly turned to face Evelyn, his eyes wondering off to the side. "My roommate has this thing for your cousin." He started out, sounding the least bit interested. "But he's shy as hell and wont do anything about it. Now, being the great person I am, I'm willing to help the guy. However, before I even lift a finger, I wanna know I'm not setting my buddy up with a psychopath." He looked at her then, his eyes questioning what he didn't say.

Evelyn tilted her head to the side and gave a toothy grin. "Gee, how nice of you." Her sarcastic remark betrayed the sweet expression, making Reid's open face turn quizzical.

"She's not a certified psycho. She's safe. Your guy should just get over himself because I'm pretty sure my cousin has a thing for him too." She made a move for the door but hesitated when Reid didn't move at all. "Was there anything else?"

He silently stared down at Evelyn, making her feel a bit self conscious with the intensity of it. Then she wondered why, of all times, did she have to notice just how freaking tall he was with his broad shoulders and looming figure?

"Yeah." Reid replied with a slight nod of his head, his blue eyes keeping a lock on hers. Evelyn gulped down a smart comment she had just been about to say and unconsciously took a step away from him. If she'd been able to feel his body heat then she had definitely been to close.

"Try not to do anything stupid." He breathed low before opening the door and slipping out into the hall.

'Try not to do anything stupid, right.' She repeated to herself with a nod. "Wait-what?" Evelyn blurted out loud before grabbing the door and stepping out into the hall to catch a glimpse of Reid walking away. A yell caught in her throat and died as a group of students passed her to the stairwell.

"Try not to do anything stupid." She repeated again irritably before shoving her hands into her jacket pockets. "That's an insult coming from you."

--

Josie paced up and down the hall, continually passing one dorm room whose door was currently locked. The hood of her dark cotton jacket was pulled snuggly over her head so that only her dark bangs spilled out over her face. Her cheeks were pale, her brown eyes shining brightly in near panic as mumbles of her incoherent thoughts continued to spill from her lips.

That was the scene Alexis viewed as she came walking down the hall. After peering curiously at the ranting girl, Alexis was able to find her voice and question with a raised brow; "Can I help you?"

"Yeah you can help me." Josie snapped, her stride unbreaking, her head bent low. "Where the hell is Evelyn?" She very nearly growled though it was hard to distinguish whether she was questioning Alexis or herself.

"I mean come on!" She exclaimed, turning her fever shining eyes to Alexis, halting her hurried pace. "The one time I actually want to find her, she's nowhere. Not in the library, not in her room, she's gone! What the hell is she doing? She finally get fed up with her life, run away and join the circus? That's probably what she did, knowing her. All that normality had to break her some time, throw her over the edge like Humpty Dumpty or something..." She broke off into mumbling as her pacing resumed.

Alexis fiddled with the keys to the room, unsure of what to say if anything. Tom was in the parking lot waiting for her to get her purse which, at the moment, she was debating if it was _really_ needed.

"Are...you sure she's not..." the rest of the question died on Alexis' lips as Josie shot a short glare her way. "Well, um..."

The shorter girl let out a frustrated sigh. "Just forget it. Tell her I was here and I'm looking for her." With that order given, she turned and stormed down the hall.

In the middle of cursing the day Evelyn was born, Josie ran smack dab into the person she'd been dead set on finding.

"You!" She exclaimed angrily. "Where have you been?! I've been waiting for you at your dorm room since yesterday !"

"Well I was at your room looking for you." Evelyn snapped back, quickly irritated at being yelled at.

"What? Whatever, I need to talk to you."

"Fine."

With jaws set and scowls written plainly on their faces, both proceeded back to Evelyn's dorm.

"So what's up?" Evelyn sighed as she kicked off her shoes and dropped onto her bed.

Josie stalked over to the desk chair, span it around, and straddled it backwards. "You're going to think I'm crazy, or stupid, or both..." She was about to lose herself in a rant though Evelyn repeated her question to keep her anchored to the conversation.

With tense shoulders and a mind continually on debate, Josie remained silent. She wanted to get this burden off of her chest. Someone could end up getting hurt if she didn't. However, her tongue wouldn't move just as her mouth wouldn't open.

Was his control over her gaining that rapidly?

_I need to say this! _Josie pushed herself. _I have to tell someone!_

"Gah!" Slamming her hands against the back of the chair, Josie pushed herself angrily to her feet. "Okay! I can't tell you! But listen to me anyway! _Moulin Rouge_!"

Immediately after speaking, the hooded girl sucked in a breath of air and held it, waiting for a reaction.

There was a moment of stunned silence in which Evelyn simply stared at her cousin in shock.

"The..._Moulin Rouge_...? What about it?"

"I-..." Josie's jaw clamped shut and her face showed a thoughtful determination. "Can't say. I know!" She continued hurriedly before Evelyn could comment. "It sucks, I know. You're confused, yeah, but...lah...just think! Think _hard._ I have to go."

"Wha-Josie!"

Evelyn made to chase after the girl, however an annoying thumbtack decided to lay itself so inconveniently in the path of her socked foot.

"Ow! Oh-damn it!" She cursed, limping back to the bed to remove the sharp embedded object.

--

'_Shit, shit, damn it, damn it, what the-'_

_You have a dirty mind going along with that mouth. _

A mild voice mused as Josie sped through the hall. Her entire body tensed at the sound as she halted by a doorway.

"You...you're..."

_Talking to oneself in public makes one look luney._

The voice commented in amusement, making Josie purse her lips together. '_You're talking to me..._'

_I've always been talking to you. You're just now paying attention. Keep walking sweetheart, you look ridiculous standing in the middle of the hallway._

Self consciously, Josie hugged her arms around herself and slowly picked up her walk again.

'_What are you?_'

_We've been over this. _The voice growled in annoyance.

Josie's own patience snapped. '_Right. So when I talk to you, I'm supposed to refer to you as "my worst nightmare?" Hi, my worst nightmare, how was your day today?_'

There was silence in her head after that, making her wonder if maybe the voice had left her alone. Her foot stepped forward, turned, and led her straight into the wall.

Josie let out a cry in both surprise and pain, immediately stepping back and bringing a hand up to her head.

_Don't get smart with me. I've had just about enough of your rhetorics for a lifetime._

After cursing both mentally and audibly, Josie muttered, "Thanks for the compliment."

_Let's see how well you are in front of others._

He sounded as if he were taking a new car out for a test drive. '_The bastard!_'

Laughter echoed through her thoughts and Josie realized her 'personal thoughts' may not be personal any more.


	10. Things Falling Into Place

**Chapter Ten: Things Falling Into Place**

_'Look, there he is.'_

_'...There who is?'_

_'As if you don't know. Let's go talk to him.'_

_'Talk to who?'_

_'You really are annoying.'_

_'Says the voice in my head. Who the hell are you talking about?!'_

_'...'_

_'Shit, what are you doing? Hey! Tell me, damn it!'_

_'Sit back and enjoy the ride.'_

--

Tyler leaned heavily against the side of his expedition, the ring of keys swinging back and forth in his hand. Caleb had called for an important meeting that afternoon and Reid, being the thorn in Caleb's side, was taking his sweet time in getting to the parking lot.

"Hey..."

Startled, the boy's head shot up to see Josie standing just a few feet away, her hands stuffed nervously in the pockets of her jeans. Perking up at her appearance, Tyler pushed away from the vehicle and stood awkwardly facing her.

"Hey," he mumbled in return.

"What are you doing here?" Josie inquired curiously.

"Waiting for Reid," he motioned to the dorm building. "What about you?"

"Free day, so I'm just walking around."

Both nodded as if in agreement but neither knew over what.

"So...are you going into town?"

"No."

"...Look, um...I just wanted to say sorry for that night when you checked my room. I called you a dumb ass and..."

"You called me a dumb ass?" Tyler repeated with a raised brow.

The girl's form tensed for a moment as her eyes widened. "Er. I must have thought it...strongly a couple of times..."

The dark haired boy dropped his head and crossed his arms, wondering how long of an apology the girl was going to draw out.

Taking his stance as a want to hear more, Josie began to fumble over more words.

"Just," Tyler cut into the repetitive ramble. "Don't worry about it. I don't really care."

Josie stared up at him, her brown eyes wide for a moment in indecision. Dropping her gaze, she let out a nervous laugh. "You're probably busy right now, but do you think...maybe later we could...talk?"

--

Drumming her fingers through the line of DVD's stacked on a shelf, Evelyn pursed her lips in thoughtfulness. Once again her search pulled up nothing.

Pushing her aggravation aside, Evelyn pushed herself up to her feet and stretched. A good part of her day had been spent searching for the movie, 'The Moulin Rouge,' which she could have sworn she'd packed with her the day she left home. Asking Alexis for help wasn't an option. Her roommate had left home for the Christmas holiday and had made it painstakingly clear she didn't want to be disturbed.

"All right!" She exclaimed, whirling around to face the rest of the room. "If I can't find it to watch, I'll just have to remember." After a few moments in which silence closed in on her, Evelyn slapped her hands over her head. "What the hell did she mean?!"

The Moulin Rouge: a tragic love story about a conflicted princess and an honest pauper...er, writer. Deceit, love, and music. Oh, the music was the best, especially the '_El Tango De Roxanne_....'

Oh wait! The girl dies in the end! Was that it? Is Josie the girl?

"Ugh! For all I know, she could have been referring to the eccentric, drunk, Telusse." Her cousin as the midget would be strange though.

A knock disturbed the chain of thought Evelyn felt would have never ended, though when she opened the dorm door, she wished she'd left it closed and pretended no one was home.

"Yeah?" Holding the door close, Evelyn warily watched Aaron. How was it he always showed up when she was alone? And he'd referred to _her_ as a stalker?

"I don't do house calls. She better be here."

"She's not."

A curse flew from his lips as he smoothed his hair back and glanced around the hallway.

"Why do you keep," the words slipped before Evelyn could stop them. Biting down on her lip, Evelyn frowned. Aaron had his full attention on her so she pushed on despite herself. "You know she's not interested, so why do you keep bugging her?"

His face froze into the expression that blatantly wondered if she were an idiot. "You think I'd explain myself to you?"

_'Well I'm the one you keep bugging!' _

With a roll of the eyes, Evelyn berated herself for attempting a conversation with the guy. Of course, he thought of himself as an almighty who answered to no one, except maybe that one chick...what's her face.

"She's not here. Wont be for the rest of the week. Bye." Taking a step back, she swiftly swung the door so that it slammed in Aaron's face. "Freaking egotistical boy." She grumbled, trudging back to her bed.

She'd been planning on heading out to clear her head, but after slamming the door, she'd look pretty stupid walking right back out.

--

"He's back."

Plain and simple. That's the way Caleb Denvers had always tried to keep things. Life was complicated enough all its own, there was no need to help it out with trick words and beating around the bush. His covenant brothers, Pogue, Tyler, and Reid had learned this early on in their childhood. At the moment, however, they needed him to connect the links.

"What do you mean he's back?" Pogue demanded, leaning his elbows forward onto his knees. Tyler exchanged a glance with Reid before both turned serious gazes on Caleb.

"Strange things have been happening around the school. The surges in power that I felt when Chase was acting up, are back. They're not as strong as before, but they're there."

"Are you sure they're not just echoes of his powers? We were all pretty shaken up by his actions." Pogue tried to reason. He glanced from one brother to the next, but each looked deeply concerned.

"Tyler feels a presence around him." Reid spoke up, keeping his gaze low as the attention was cast down on him.

"It was one time." The Sims teen seethed behind clenched teeth.

"Yeah, and how long before it happens again, baby boy?" Reid's eyes moved to lock in a cold stare with Tyler's.

"Reid, cool it." Caleb's voice cut through the tension, causing Tyler to look to him, and Reid to turn a sour face to the floor. "What I can't figure out is where the power is coming from. I felt it once the other day, then again just this afternoon."

"I thought you killed him." Reid muttered darkly.

Pogue glanced at Caleb who sighed warily. "His body was never found. He could have escaped in a number of ways, biding his time until now."

The weight of his words fell heavily on Reid's shoulders.

"So what do we do?" Tyler questioned after a prolonged moment of silence.

"We find him; take him down before he can fully reclaim his powers."

Reid glared down at the dusty floor, his jaws clenched tightly. "How do we find him?"

Caleb's dark eyes swept over the Garwin teen, the mental wheels spinning faster than ever before as he decided upon a solution. Granted, Reid would have to consent on a number of levels. Feeling the piercing stare upon him, Reid lifted his head.

--

Evelyn rushed down the steps of the dormitory building, her hands pushing through the sleeves of her jacket as she speedily pulled it on.

She had been stupid. She had been beyond idiotically blind! The truth that she was still unsure of what was happening and that she was making things up as she went, created a bitter force on her side. She was only sure of one thing, maybe two. The first being, she needed to find Josie.

Intuition had never been something she strongly trusted before, but at the moment, it presented a solution where nothing else bothered. Find Josie. Stick with her. That was all. After finding her dorm room empty and the rec room where most others went, deathly silent, Evelyn decided to search the school grounds.

Dark clouds pooled together ominously over the school and the wind blew roughly in a near whirlwind. Branches ducked, weaved, and swayed amongst each other, adding to the wild sensation already curling in Evelyn's gut. Tying her dark hair back and up away from her face, she headed first for the courtyard.

* * *

A/N: Mm, short chapter. Didn't mean for that to happen. Hopefully this'll hold over until the next chapter and hopefully this doesn't scare any reader away. Thank you to those who have reviewed previous chapters. And thank you to all who are still reading!


	11. Left Behind

a/n: Sorry for the lil over two months delay on getting this chapter out. Inspiration was late in hitting for this; I'm just glad my new fourth period class is boring as heck and gives me time to write for this. I want to say a HUGE thank you for those who have read, reviewed, favorited, or simply put on the alert list. It's good to know that at least one person is reading and (hopefully) enjoying. I'm not too sure this chapter is the best; it certainly isn't the longest; but I hope its just as well. Enjoy!

Oh, and in the last chapter, I misspelled a name, it was supposed to be 'Toulouse' not Telouse, or however I spelled it.

Disclaimer: I only own the original characters, nothing more.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: Left Behind  
**

The expedition sped through the closed in road. Fresh green and shades of gray flew past in a blur. Tyler glanced uneasily at his friend whose jaw was clenched and eyes were glued straight through the windshield. His gloved hands grasped the leather wheel tightly, making Tyler a tad nervous about the sitting arrangement.

"Reid," He called out as he leaned forward to try to catch his friend's eye. "Where are we going?"

"I told you where we're going." The Garwin teen snapped without moving an inch from his position.

"Right, but back to the school isn't informative."

"It's a place, isn't it?"

Tyler clenched his jaw and turned away to stare out the windshield again. The hum of the engine increased in volume as the pressure of Reid's foot on the accelerator increased in strength. The Simms teen had wanted to tell him to slow down, to calm down because his actions could lead them nowhere good. Instead, he bit his tongue and clenched the rubber handle by the door.

The meeting had ended in the conclusion that Chase was indeed back; and although the reason as to why was blurred; Tyler knew the possibility of it dealing with Reid was high. The fact that his birthday loomed near was difficult to ignore.

"_He may still want power, now more than ever. We have to keep an eye out for trouble and stick together."_

That seemed simple enough to handle, yet Reid's behavior was way below comprehension. The only reason he would be reacting the way he was...

Tyler let his gaze slide back to the blond driver. "What do you know?" He questioned, driving straight to the point.

"Nothing yet." Reid replied distractedly.

"You have an idea." Tyler pushed, leaning forward once again.

"I have plenty." The blond dismissed.

"Let me in on it, Reid." The Simms teen demanded.

"Look, do you want to drive?" Reid snapped, glancing impatiently to his friend. Concentrating on the road while having to listen to the passenger pester you with annoying questions was beyond distracting.

"Yeah, I do!" Tyler retorted, impatience at not being answered snapping through.

A devious smirk crossed Reid's lips. "Then, by all means..." His gloved hands slipped from the wheel and Tyler's heart jerked into a radical beat.

"Reid!"

The expedition swerved a turn through the trees, skimming the forest line yet remaining on the pavement. The accelerator pulled back as the expedition slowed to an eventual stop.

Reid glared at the boy in the passenger seat. "Now why the hell did you do that?"

Tyler kept his pitch black eyes on the wheel for a moment longer before closing his eyes and turning his head away. "What's going on, Reid? What's happening?"

Reid tossed his head to the side to stare out the window. "That new girl; the transfer student..." He began after a moment in silence.

"Josie?" Tyler turned his blue eyes back to his roommate.

"If that's what you call her." Reid replied in an off handed manner. "When was the last time Chase came into our lives?"

Dark eyebrows furrowed together as Tyler kept his confused gaze on Reid. "Caleb's birthday."

A sigh escaped the blond's lips. "Think again, Baby Boy."

Tyler's jaw clenched at the nick name, but remained silent, awaiting his friend's explanation. Reid turned in his seat, resting his arms on the arm rest between them as he caught Tyler's eye and kept it.

"He came with the first batch of transfer students; a.k.a.; when we met Sarah. Now that he's back, don't you find it catchy that it happens when we get another transfer student?"

Mulling the idea over, Tyler dropped his gaze momentarily and sat back into his chair. Slowly, he spoke up. "She's been here for over a month now...these occurrences only began recently..."

Rolling his eyes, Reid replied; "I didn't say it made _perfect_ sense. That's why I didn't tell our _Fearless Leader_." Tyler frowned at the sarcasm, though Reid chose to ignore it. "Just give me some credit, will ya?"

"Fine. So, what are we doing now?" Tyler questioned glancing out the windshield.

Reid turned in his seat and pressed down on the gas peddle, putting the expedition into motion once again. "We're going to find the new girl and ask some questions." He replied, a hint of a sarcastic smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth.

* * *

Sarah glanced at the time on her cell phone before once again snapping it shut and burying it deep within the pocket of her jacket. Her eyes glanced uncertainly out at the parking lot where no vehicles had driven in through for the past twenty minutes.

Caleb had called her nearly half an hour before, telling her that Reid was on his way back to the school. He had asked her to watch over him, make sure he didn't do anything stupid. What she could do to stop the Covenant brother, Sarah had no clue. Reid had never been one to heed the warnings of others, let alone follow commands.

What also worried her was the fact that her boyfriend had yet to call back to check up on her. News as to what was going on would have been very helpful instead of leaving her out in the cold waiting for a vehicle that hadn't shown any sign of arriving. Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Sarah quenched the annoyance that had been bubbling in her throat and pulled out her phone again.

Movement in her peripheral vision made her snap her head up to her left.

Kate stopped in her tracks, her smooth brown hair blowing into her face as she stared at her roommate in confusion.

Sighing, Sarah shrugged her shoulders and flashed a small smile. "Sorry." She mumbled before Kate took the last few steps to stand by her side.

Both girls watched the parking lot, hands shoved in their jacket pockets.

"Any word from Caleb?" Kate spoke up, lifting a hand to her face to remove a strand of hair.

The young blond shook her head before shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Not since he called about Reid."

"What do you think could have happened?"

"I don't know. But whatever it is, he seemed pretty hell bent on me sticking with Reid." She sighed and shook her head, this time at the idea of her boyfriend withholding information. For all she knew, Caleb could have sent Reid to keep tabs on _her_, instead of the other way around. But if that were the case, why? Why wouldn't Caleb have come and keep on eye on her himself? Why would he _need_ _to_?

"Here he comes." Kate nodded toward the entrance of the parking lot and soon both girls watched as the black expedition pulled into a parking spot. "Come on." Her hand pulled on Sarah's arm, leading her to the black top to meet up with the boys.

* * *

She was never the type for cat and mouse, especially when she had to play the cat. She may have been athletic at one time, but chasing wasn't her style. Searching wasn't all that fun either, especially when you didn't know where to start.

Evelyn grit her teeth before trying Josie's number once more. The voice mail picked up without any ringing. Sighing, Evelyn snapped the phone shut and slid it into the back of her jeans pocket before wrapping the jacket tighter around herself.

Not at the courtyard, there were no gardens, the church halls were currently closed. Stopping in her wondering tracks, Evelyn considered checking the infirmary. It was either that or going into the woods which was only a short distance away.

_'Walking across campus to check a place she may not be, or going into the closer, more expansed woods where...she also...may not be...' _Biting her lip and looking from one direction to the other, she thought: '_Tricky.'_

Her phone vibrated from the back of her jeans and instantly she reached back to pull it out. An unfamiliar number flashed in the blue screen and a small hope flickered that it could lead to Josie.

"Hello?"

Static fluttered across the ear piece as a sudden harsh wind blew past, restricting the sound of any response.

"Hello?" She repeated, turning her back to the wind.

"_What the hell do you think you're doing?" _A voice snapped at her.

Evelyn lifted her head at the alien voice and looked around. "Who is this?"

* * *

Reid glared through the building window down to the lone figure standing just beside the forest line. "Who do you think?" He snapped into the mouth piece of his phone.

* * *

Her breathing faltered and Evelyn found she had to hesitate before replying so as to keep her voice from sounding a couple of octaves higher than usual. "Reid?"

"_No, it's the All Powerful Oz. Answer my question. What are you doing?"_

Defiance burned within Evelyn as the guy had the nerve to make demands of her when she was currently busy. "How did you get my number?"

"_Does that even matter?!" _Irritation coated his voice.

Evelyn huffed as her eyes continued to watch her surroundings. "Well, if Oz got my number, I think I should warn the Wicked Witch of the West that he's on her tail."

"_Where's your cousin at?"_ He questioned hurriedly.

* * *

Tyler leaned against the counter top in the rec room while Kate lounged in one of the couches, Sarah sat at a table, and Reid stood in the middle. All their attentions were trained on the person who stood by the pool table. The rec room was empty save for these five people; Reid had closed and locked the door to the room so as to keep others out.

Evelyn clenched her fists and kept her arms crossed tightly in front of her. The weather outside was getting worse; dark clouds spat out sprinkles of water that attacked the windows with each breath of harsh wind. Her leg began to shake as adrenaline pumped through her veins.

"So you don't know where she is?" Reid questioned for the third time since they'd been in the room.

"No, damn it." Evelyn replied, losing her patience.

"Why do you need to find her?" Kate intervened, as Evelyn and Reid stared heatedly at each other before turning to Tyler who spoke.

"Somethings have been happening around school, we need to know if she knows anything about it."

Sarah caught Reid's eye, silently questioning if it had more to do with the covenant than anything else. His lips parted as if to speak, though instead he broke the gaze and stepped towards Tyler. "We can check the infirmary," He whispered. "She didn't check there."

Evelyn's body jerked forward; however, she restrained herself, bit her lip, and turned her gaze to the window.

"I'll go check." Kate volunteered, standing up from the couch and catching everyone's attention. She turned to Sarah, expecting her to speak up and join her, however Tyler was the one to speak.

"I'll go with you." The Simms teen turned to the door, unlocked it, and opened it for the dark haired girl.

Just then Evelyn felt her cell phone vibrate from within the pocket of her jacket. Pulling it out, her heart beat quickened as Josie's name appeared in the caller id. She punched the call button. "Josie?"

"_No." _A monotone voice answered in a drawl.

"Wha..." But that was her voice. The sound may not have been the same, but the vocal chords underlined Josie's.

"_How much do you love your cousin?"_

"Josie, what are you doing?" Evelyn snapped, turning her back to the others in the room.

A sigh echoed in the background before the monotone voice sounded again. _"Don't call me Jos-ie. Now, do you want your cousin back or not?"_

Evelyn's mind worked fast as she attempted to make sense of the conversation. "Well if you don't want me calling you Josie, what do you want me to call you? And as for your second question, that depends."

"Who the hell are you talking to?" Reid's voice sounded from behind causing Evelyn to turn and silence him with her worried expression.

_"You two must share a smart-ass gene. Look, I really don't care for her. She's annoying. So, I'm willing to make a trade."_

There was a pause in which Evelyn leaned heavily against the pool table. "What kind of trade?"

"_Tell the Garwin boy to come with you. He knows what I want."_

"Woah-wait! Come with me, where? Who are you?"

"_Just after the imaginary sun of ours disappears, come into the woods. __If anyone else besides the two of you comes, you can forget about this girl's future. I'll be waiting."_ After the phone line died, Evelyn slipped the phone back into her pocket and slowly faced the silent teens behind her.

Swallowing hard, she kept her worried gaze on the blond Garwin. "What...did you do?"

Reid's eyebrows knit together in confusion before opening his arms as if to show he had nothing on him. "What are you talking about?"

"Was that Josie?" Tyler questioned, stepping forward between his friend and the stranger girl.

"Yes, but..." She shook her head. "She just said that if I wanted my cousin back, I'm supposed to take _you_," She pointed accusingly at Reid. "Into the woods after the sun sets. You have something she wants, and apparently she isn't coming back until you give it to her."

Kate inched closer to Sarah and whispered, "Is this some ex-girlfriend or something? Cause she sounds like she needs to get some..."

Sarah's eyes widened as she nudged her roommate in the side.

"I don't have anything." Reid replied after sharing a glance with Tyler who clenched his jaw in return. Evelyn's dark brown eyes stared unwavering into Reid's bright blue as both parted their lips to speak.

"Tyler," Sarah spoke in the tense atmosphere. Her eyes had strayed between Reid and Evelyn in silent analysis before turning her full attention to eh Simms boy. Call Caleb. Get him over here."

* * *

An hour had passed. That just left one half hour.

Caleb had arrived with Pogue maybe ten minutes earlier to evaluate the situation. At Caleb's silent request, Sarah had discreetly taken Kate from the room so as to keep the secret on a somewhat controlled level.

"I'll go with Reid." Caleb stated calmly as soon as Kate and Sarah exited.

"Why?" Evelyn questioned, her straight face disguising the fact that her heartbeat quickened.

Caleb calmly stared into her eyes and replied: "Because we don't know who this person is, they could be dangerous."

Tyler watched as Evelyn's face twitched from contained frustration and quickly turned to Caleb himself. "In that case, Pogue and I should go too."

Caleb's shoulders tensed as he considered the younger boy. "Just me and Reid. Any more and we could set this person off."

Tyler clenched his jaw and turned away from Caleb's steady stare. Reid felt a twinge of annoyance as he watched his roommate back down. Seriously, the boy had no back bone when it came to Caleb. Pogue slapped a hand on Tyler's shoulder before standing up and heading for the window behind a now brooding Evelyn.

"Our time's almost up." Caleb stood from the chair he'd been occupying. "Let's go, Reid."

"No." Two voices spoke in unision; one laid back, the other alarmed.

Tyler lifted his head, Pogue turned from the window and Caleb froze in his steps. Slowly, the Denvers male turned his head to the side, waiting for the objectors to make their cases.

"She's my cousin and whoever was on the phone made it clear they didn't want anyone else showing up."

"And why do I have to go anyway?" Caleb turned around fully, setting his irked gaze on Reid who simply crossed his arms. "She has no clue as to who's waiting for us and why am I even wanted?"

"That's what we're going to find out." Caleb answered patiently. He then switched his gaze to lock with Pogue's. "Stay here. Watch them."

The muscled teen inhaled swiftly, puffing out his chest and standing taller before nodding silently. Caleb didn't waste any time taking in the reactions of Tyler and Evelyn. Instead, he turned on his heel, banged open the door and called sternly over his shoulder: "Reid, let's go!"

Rolling his eyes, the blond teen uncrossed his arms and followed, the rec room door slamming loudly after he exited.


	12. In A Whir

**A/N: **I apologize greatly for the delay in updating. I had planned to post this yesterday, but my computer seemed to have other plans such as freezing and causing me to rewrite nearly everything from the half point on. But here it is. I hope everyone will find it acceptable after almost a three month wait (if not longer). I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed and showed support for this story. You guys on youtube, I appreciate your comments very much and hope everyone will continue on this journey with me. Much love to everyone and a belated happy 4th of July!!

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**Chapter 12: In A Whir**

"_Our times almost up." Caleb stood from the chair he'd been occupying. "Let's go Reid."_

"_No." Two voices spoke in unison; one laid back, the other alarmed._

"_She's my cousin and whoever was on the phone made it clear they didn't want anyone else showing up."_

"_And why do I have to go anyway?" Caleb turned around fully, setting his irked gaze on Reid who simply crossed his arms. "She has no clue as to who's waiting for us and why am I even wanted?"_

"_That's what we're going to find out." Caleb answered patiently. He then switched his gaze to lock with Pogue's. "Stay here. Watch them. Reid let's go!"_

_Rolling his eyes, the blond teen uncrossed his arms and followed, the rec room door slamming loudly after he exited._

"No." Evelyn murmured before jumping for the door, and swiftly opening it to pass through.

"Hey, damn it, he said to stay." Pogue called after her, quickly jumping to stay on her heels.

Evelyn's quick pace down the hall slowed when she found that both Caleb and Reid had disappeared. Not even a minute had passed, yet as she turned in a full circle she found that they simply weren't in the building anymore.

Tyler quickly grabbed onto Pogue's arm after sensing the older teen was about to use. "We can't do anything to her." He whispered, keeping his eyes on the girl down the hall to make sure she didn't pull her own disappearing act. "She'll suspect."

"She's suspecting now." Pogue attempted to reason, his eyes on the same point.

The younger boy released a breath in thought before slapping his other hand on Pogue's chest to hold him back. "Caleb said to watch us. Not necessarily for us to stay in that room. We humor her a bit, let her think she's helping all the while making sure she goes nowhere near where they are."

Turning his sardonic gaze to the younger teen, Pogue remained unamused. "You're saying we just let her play 'Where's Waldo' while Caleb and Reid are out there risking their lives?"

Drawing his eyebrows together and locking gazes, Tyler responded; "If anything that should be _my_ line. I say we follow Caleb and Reid and help them. And you mean Carmen San Diego not Waldo."

* * *

"I thought your plan consisted of using Evelyn to find out what was going on." Reid bit out as he followed his fearless leader through the school grounds. The wind whipping past drowned out Caleb's sigh.

"Plan has changed since Chase made that call." The Denvers teen called out over his shoulder. "He's holding Josie hostage so as to get you to rescue her."

Tired of listening to an over the shoulder explanation, Reid jogged up to Caleb's side and tilted his head so as to hear him better. "But why her? I don't even know the girl. And, he asked for the cousin to tag along."

"The cousin is the medium. He probably wanted her to come along so you wouldn't do anything stupid." Caleb reasoned before freezing in his next step and grabbing onto Reid's arm.

Dark brown eyes swiftly met with a pair of light blue.

"She'll be coming right about now."

Both boys turned towards the dark school building where one of the entrance doors was pushed open, revealing the girl they had just been discussing. Both leapt back behind the tree line they had just been about to enter and took refuge behind a pair of old oaks.

As she slowly began her descent down the wet cemented steps, Caleb took note of her curling fingers and slow, unsure steps.

"The whole reason you followed her around was to determine the bond between the two, right?" Caleb demanded quietly.

Keeping his attention on the girl, Reid only half nodded his approval.

"You suspected one of them." Caleb stated, mentally piecing together the Garwin's actions.

"The other more than this one." Reid replied before turning his head in Caleb's direction. He felt Caleb reaching a point, though it remained to be unseen to him.

Reaching into his jacket pocket, Caleb pulled out his cell, pressed the call button and placed the device to his ear. "Pogue. Forget about it. We've got her. Keep Tyler inside." There was no room for argument as he swiftly pressed the end button and slipped the phone back into his pocket. The time for asking the cause of Reid's suspicion was not now. So, instead, Caleb went another route. "How strong is their bond?"

An eyebrow twitched at the swift change, though Reid decided he would remember that for later. "They're more like sisters than anything. Or, strange close friends. Evelyn isn't going to stop looking for her without a fight. Which is bad news for us."

"We don't have a say in the matter anymore." Caleb spoke as Evelyn neared the forest line. "She's going to lead us to Chase."

Reid cocked his head to the side as his face took on the expression of aggravated confusion. "So we're back to following her now?!"

* * *

"Stupid boys and their stupid rules..." Evelyn continued to murmur to herself as her fingers curled absently into fists before uncoiling. The last few steps she descended were hurried when she realized she could hear Tyler and Pogue running to the doors she had just walked through. "But then whose the bigger idiot when you have to run from _them_." She grumbled to herself before quickly moving to the side of the building and throwing her back against the wall.

She waited a full minute, her breathing quick though she made it a point to keep it quiet, before concluding that they weren't going to come out after her. Another torrent of wind blew past, pulling loose her long bangs and obscuring her vision. While reflexively pulling the hair away from her face, Evelyn wondered briefly why they would hesitate in coming after her.

_'Leave it to luck...while playing a fool's game.'_ She thought wryly before motivating herself to push away from the wall and head towards the forest line.

A fool's game was all she was playing by following instructions from everyone but herself. Hell, she could have already had Josie back in her dorm room half an hour ago if it weren't for the boys' dilly-dallying.

Fifteen minutes. Pulling out the cell phone and dialing the familiar number, Evelyn braced herself for the unfamiliar character that would answer.

"Where in the woods?"

* * *

"Finally going to turn eighteen, Reid." Caleb clapped the blond's shoulder. The two followed a distance behind Evelyn as she wondered through the different trees, curiously oblivious to the fact that she was being followed.

"Oh joy," Reid replied sarcastically, grabbing a branch so as to step down from the large tree's root to an even more unsteady ground. As soon as his sneaker slipped into the muddy surface, a grunt of pain emitted from Caleb causing Reid to whirl around and find the older teen sprawled on his back a far distance away. Before he could open his mouth to question what had happened, a force knocked him from behind causing him to collide face first against the large tree he had just passed.

Sinking into the wet mud, Reid's last sight was of a pair of worn white sneakers stepping into view before a hazy darkness consumed him.

* * *

A dull pain shot throughout his body, bringing him from the point of unconsciousness to consciousness. A strong force kept him from moving or lifting his head and gravity seemed to be acting especially difficult in letting him open his eyes to peer at his surroundings.

The simple task of swallowing seemed about all he could do. The warm saliva caused ache all the way down his dry throat.

"He's finally awake," A disgustingly familiar voice drawled from somewhere above him.

His eyelids fought harder to lift after hearing that voice and its jeering comment. A cold grip was suddenly around his arm and on his shoulder, pushing whatever energy he had in his body back into the earth beneath him.

"No, no, no, no. Don't strain yourself." The voice cooed mockingly just before his face, causing him to cringe and turn away. "You still have about three pain free minutes before your world gets turned upside down."

A sudden irritating itch at the very back of his throat caused his chest to convulse, leading to a dry coughing fit. Left hand reaching over to grasp at any rooted object, clasping onto loose leaves and rocky clumps of mud, he was able to turn himself over onto his stomach and breathe in deeply. His head seemed to spin on its own axis, prolonging the inability to open his eyes.

"No." A painful hit to his spine pushed him flat out against the moist earth, causing more disorientation. "You. Don't. Move. Is it so hard to listen?"

"Stop it." A voice croaked from somewhere in the near distance.

A second passed before the disturbingly jubilant voice responded. "So she arises as well. What timing!" The pressure increases greatly for a split second before all weight is gone. "Josie, I do believe you heard her, you can stop now."

A jarring pain swept across his jaw, the momentum causing the rest of his body to flip onto his back.

"Josie!" The weak voice from before cried out with slightly more energy.

Man, whatever the hell was going on, Reid was going to be sure to kick some serious ass as soon as he could open his eyes and see straight. Standing wouldn't be a bad option either.

"And now we're down to two minutes." The voice teased as if reading from a watch.

"What the fuck do you want?" Reid was able to gasp out, his anger brewing up enough energy to push himself over and adjust his vision to the twilight shadows that surrounded the area.

The stone cold grip appeared on his still burning jaw, jerking his head upward to view a face he had not expected to see ever again. "I believe you should be able to guess." The lips hissed as a pair of dark glaring eyes challenged Reid to object. "However, you did break a rule. Such...a _simple_ rule, really." Chase's face smiled cruelly. "Come alone. I had things especially planned for the four of us. Then, you had to go and invite the party pooper. The...'play it safe' man, if you will."

Throwing Reid's face away from him, the ghostly pale teen lifted himself to his feet and paced the moist earth towards a smaller dark figure standing a few feet away.

"Lucky I have my contingency plans, or else I really would have kept my word." He lifted his hand to trail the shoulders of the figure as he slowly circled it. When his face came into view again, the dark eyes flashed past Reid towards Evelyn, who until that moment, he had not seen.

Her dark tousled hair led to the assumption that she had been attacked just as he and Caleb had. Mud stains painted her cheeks and stuck to her clothes, however her dark brown eyes shone in what moonlight was given; enlightening her unshed tears and confused fear.

After catching her eyes for a brief moment, Reid quickly returned his gaze to the estranged fifth covenant brother, only to find him smirking devilishly. The anger from before returned, allowing him to push himself up to his feet and darken his eyes to attack. His quick movements weren't fast enough, however. With just an inclination of his jaw, Chase had him flying backwards to land ungracefully in front of Evelyn.

Without a second's thought, her hands gripped onto his shoulders and helped to pull him back up to his feet. Shrugging from her grasp as soon as he was up, Reid kept his full attention on the enemy. Formulating a battle plan had never been one of his greatest talents, unfortunately it seemed the occassion called for it.

"One minute left, Reid. You sure you want to spend it like this? You see, my plan had been the same for Caleb. But as you can tell, it didn't exactly go as I planned. Instead, he decided to be selfish, only taking into consideration his happiness and no one else's."

"You've got a couple of screws loose in your head." Reid snapped, unamused by his meaningless banter.

Tilting his head as if he had been jabbed in the side, Chase chose to ignore the comment and continue. "Are you going to make the same mistake Caleb did? What's more important: the future of two innocent or your life?"

"What?" Evelyn involuntarily murmured as she watched both the stranger and Reid in confusion. Her gaze rested on the stranger when a sudden thought occurred to her. Josie still stood behind the man, her shoulers slightly hunched forward and her head hanging low, casting her face in darkness. Evelyn didn't need to see her face, however, to realize that she was awaiting orders. Orders....from the man standing before her talking about futures and the value of life. "You're the one whose..."

"Shut it and stay out of this." Reid growled, only moving his head slightly in her direction. Before he could come up with something, Evelyn roughly shoved his shoulder.

"Shut it and stay out of this? Who died and made you commander?" She questioned vehemently.

"If you don't shut up, your lil' cousin over there will!" He countered just as heatedly, glaring over his shoulder at her.

The clearing of a throat ceased anymore arguing, as two pairs of eyes focused on the source. "Time's up. Happy birthday."


	13. Launched Forward

A/N: Just want to give a forewarning that this story has about four chapters left. On my profile I had stated only two, but then my cousin/editor wasn't satisfied and demanded I write more. SO, there are possibly four chapters left, give or take. Hope you enjoy this chapter, it was somewhat difficult to write.

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**Chapter 13: Launched Forward**

"_If things don't pan out accordingly, there is a cliff due South. Find it. Then jump. Do you understand?"_

_She had no control as her chin lifted then dropped. Sure she understood. He was a sick bastard using her as leverage in some twisted game in which that band of four were the opponents. _

_In the last hours she came to find that just as her thoughts were visible to him, she could glimpse into his as well. The four formed a brotherhood, one he should have been apart of. Jealousy, she found to be great, though it wasn't the source to his actions. _

_Greed for power alone fueled his every action. A power she didn't understand. Until he had drained her of energy and revealed a hallow image of himself, she had figured he was some sort of mental poltergeist screwing with her. But after figuring he had once been human, the question remained what was he currently doing within her?_

_Since his debut, she had become powerless. As if being locked away in a corner of her mind, she could only watch the world and the things he made her body do. _

_The last fifteen minutes he had her render Evelyn unconscious, drag both her and Reid to a small clearing deep in the trees and cause physical harm to the Garwin boy. Once released from these services, her body stepped back into the shadows as if her shame had sunken deep into her bones, causing them to shy away. She listened to the conversation of trade and selfishness and bitterly attempted to take control of herself again._

"Time's up."

She redirected her senses to the world around her. Fear took hold over her as 'her worst nightmare' kept his cruel smile while staring Reid and Evelyn down.

"Happy birthday." He said just before thunder began a low roll in the sky.

"Get out of here." Reid ordered tensely, his eyes trained on the dark sky above. As he pushed Evelyn back, a stray lightning bolt struck the tree just to their right, dropping a large limb with a searing crackle.

"_Move, move, get the hell out of here!" _Josie yelled, though physically her lips remained sealed, her body indifferent.

Her cousin hesitated, but as another lightning bolt struck just to their left, she turned heel and ran. Josie was able to feel some relief when Evelyn disappeared, but it soon vanished when _his_ voice whispered just by her ear.

"Follow her. Take her over the cliff with you."

If she were in control, she was sure she'd have had a heart attack the nand there right before giving him a good kick in the groin.

No matter the effort, the screams, the curses, Josie couldn't keep her feet from moving one in front of the other. Her muscles reacted to memory and began to sprint. So consumed was she in halting her actions that she failed to see Reid struck multiple times, hear his cries of pain, and comprehend that he was ascending into an addictive power he already enjoyed far too much.

As both girls excited the scene, Chase let loose his silly grin.

Reid squirmed, convulsed, and yelled for a full minute before dropping unceremoniously back to the mud beneath him.

And so began the difficult part of his plan. Convincing Reid to give him his power, which would enable him to traverse into a physical form and not one like the cheap imitation he currently resided in.

Though he did have a contingency plan, Chase beamed confidence that he wouldn't have to use it. They couldn't attack him. Even if Reid attempted with his new powers; the only way they could destroy an energy leech was by...

"I know what you're thinking." The apparition spoke, stepping up closer to the fallen boy. "And I'll tell you right now, the only way to kill me is to kill my energy source."

"Really?" Reid spat, his head hung low as he pushed himself up to his knees. "And what's that?"

Crossing his arms over his chest, Chase couldn't help but smirk down on his prey. "The girl you came here to save. Josie Gellar."

* * *

The trees began to blur together as rain drops began to fall and hinder her vision. With every scrape she received from a protruding branch, the name _coward_ was branded in her heart.

How could she just leave them?

Josie had been right there!

Reid had obviously been in some kind of trouble, and she just _left_ them!

The elevated slopes finally assaulted her feet as the new rain fall increased the slipperiness of the mud. She tumbled forward, hands reaching for any source of solidity and only finding air. Finally reaching the bottom of the elevation, Evelyn rolled onto her knees and hissed in pain as protruding rocks in the ground stabbed into them.

Her jacket was heavy and hot, making it difficult for her to catch her breath. Quickly removing it and stowing it in one of the trees beside her, she crawled behind another trunk and dropped her head into her hands.

"You have to go back for her." She reasoned between gasps for air. "You have to go back."

But she didn't move from her spot, no moatter how much she willed herself to.

Thunder shook the ground beneath her, causing her to slam her back against the rough bark in paranoia.

"Shit!" She cursed in aggravation, slamming her fists against her already bruised knees. Quickly, she pushed up to her feet and raced to the other side of the tree to make her way back up the slope which she had fallen from.

Though, what met her was a body, tumbling down the slope much like she had and crashing into her so that both were sprawled in the mud in a tangle of limbs.

The small form, maroon jacket, blue jeans, sneakers...

"Josie?" Sitting up, Evelyn untangled herself from the girl and grabbed onto her shoulders. "Are you okay?" Panic swept over her as she quickly glanced her cousin over checking for injuries.

Her head lifted slowly, letting dull brown eyes peer up dazedly at Evelyn.

"What's going on?" She demanded, though the girl remained silent.

_'Can't talk, can't talk, why can't she talk?' _The question fluttered through her thoughts among many others, causing Evelyn to be oblivious of the cold hands slowly making their way up to her neck.

The icy feel of fingers against her skin snapped the girl into reality; her hands jumped up to clamp on Josie's wrists.

No expression crossed the face of the muted teen as she launched forward, tackling Evelyn onto her back while still reaching for her throat.

"Shit...Josie...really?" Evelyn growled through her clenched teeth, keeping the hands at bay but restricting herself to do just that.

* * *

"The girl, right," Reid lifted himself to his feet, bringing Chase up with him. "You'd say anything to throw us off, wouldn't you." Swiftly making a large energy ball with one hand, Reid threw the attack at Chase, only to be stumped as it flew straight through him and a few other trees after that.

Smirking at Reid's shocked expression, Chase cocked his head to the side and spoke triumphantly.

"_Us_? I wasn't aware there was an 'us'." Stepping forward, Chase's dark eyes clashed with Reid's. "I see a _you_. And I see a _you_ who is running out of options.

Just then a tall oak crackled behind Chase, falling forward and crashing through the apparition and causing it to disappear momentarily.

Lifting his eyes from the fallen tree, Reid caught sight of Tyler and Pogue, both of whose eyes were pitch black.

* * *

Jerking back, Josie fell on her bum, her brown eyes suddenly alive with surprise. Sitting up as well, Evelyn eyed the girl warily while grabbing at the ground to take a cautionary slide back.

"Jos?"

The girl's chin lifted as she slapped Evelyn's leg with as much force as she could muster. "Why didn't you run? Hell Evelyn, if I wanted you to play hero I would've stuck around!"

"You disappeared, what else was I supposed to do?" Evelyn snapped back, her relief battling with great irritation and embarrassment.

A curse flew from Josie's lips as her muddy hand slapped to her forehead. Whatever caused her momentary freedom seemed to be wearing off already. Clenching her eyes shut in pain, Josie ground out: "Run. And hide so I can't find you."

Moving her legs under herself, Evelyn kept a steady watch on her cousin. "I'm stronger than you. I can hold you off."

"For how long? Just hurry and go!"

* * *

Tyler stepped over the green tresses of the fallen oak making his way to Reid who looked about to curse up a storm.

"What are you doing here, you're supposed to be at the dorms." The blond snapped, disregarding the fact that their last action has been somewhat helpful.

"And let you have all the fun?" Pogue inquired with a mischevious smirk. "We all want a part in kicking this guy's ass." Deliberately standing on the thick trunk which had fallen on Chase, Pogue placed his hands on his hips and surveyed the area. "Where's Caleb?"

Eyebrows drew together as Reid realized he hadn't taken that lack of information into consideration. Where _was_ the fearless leader?

"Reid!" Tyler shouted in warning, jabbing a finger to the space behind the Garwin teen.

Whirling around, Reid was able to just barely dodge a shot of energy from Chase who had materialized behind him; though, Pogue hadn't been so fast. The energy slammed into his broad chest, knocking him from his feet and sending him to the muddy earth.

Energy blast after energy blast was sent towards the younger teens, though both were quick to deflect. The falling rain did little to help their vision as they slowly inched towards the apparition.

"Working together now, are we?" Chase growled in outrage, his assault halting for only a moment.

* * *

A thick, wet, moldy branch. That's what the controlled teen wielded between her small pale hands, swinging it wildly like a bat.

Evelyn couldn't be sure where her cousin had pulled the branch from or when, but as she moved back, dodging the thick weapon, she figured it was going to be a pain to get close.

Bright lightning pierced the sky once again, closely followed by the earth trembling thunder as Evelyn's back collided with a tree. Quickly falling down to the floor, she was able to narrowly dodge another swing that had been directed at her head.

Glancing up through the rain, she managed to make out Josie's looming form. The maroon hood had found its way back atop Josie's head while her face remained hidden in dark shadow. Her arms quickly raised, now holding the branch as a soldier would before executing one of their own, the intention to bring it straight down through the chest.

"Sorry, Josie," Evelyn muttered before lunging forward, grabbing her cousin about the waist and tackling her to the ground. Instead of landing on top to restrain her, however, the two continued to roll down a muddy slope.

Rocks sliced at their backs, sides, and arms as they tumbled down. Evelyn kept a hand fisted in Josie's jacket so as not to lose her and also to keep some constant as the world flew past to the point she couldn't tell which way was up.

They rolled onto sturdier land, what felt like rock. While Evelyn was able to stop herself, her whole body jerked towards the edge of a cliff as Josie had tumbled straight over it. With her hand still clutching onto Josie's jacket, Evelyn frantically searched around for more support. Her arm ached from strain and her fingers burned, though she felt that if she moved closer, they would both fall.

"Josie!" She cried out, hoping beyond hope she would snap out of it and reply.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she dropped her forehead to the rock below her and breathed sharply. Gritting her teeth, she attempted to pull her cousin up with one hand, groaning through the pain. Josie made no movement, it was like lifting dead weight.

"Climb up, damn it!" Evelyn gasped out, though there had yet to be a verbal reply.

Her other hand clawed the stone while her knees moved to support the extra weight. Another crash of thunder caused a quake in the earth and brought with it a strong wind and stinging rain.

Suddenly, her knees gave out, her body slammed against the stone and slid that much closer to the edge.

"Oh damn it! Josie!" She screamed in panic.

_'I'm trying!' _Josie called out, using all she was worth to move an arm, a leg, something!

The ground below was far and uneven. A careless landing would be enough to kill and there was no way Josie was willing to test her luck. She hadn't known they were so close to the damned cliff and in that moment, Josie wished she had told Evelyn to run the _other way._

_'Just don't let me go.'_ She prayed while concentrating on her fingers. _'A twitch or something, come on!'_

Her focus broke when she noticed her vision was slowly moving. It wasn't moving the direction she wanted it to.

_'My jacket is tearing. Oh fuck, I'm going to fall! Evelyn pull me up! Pull me up, pull me up, pull me up!'_

Then it happened.

All she was worth had not been enough to save herself.


	14. Salvation

A/N: Thank you to all who have reviewed and added this story to their favorite/alert lists! I don't believe this story would have come as far as it has if it weren't for you. This chapter, like most others lately, was difficult to get into. But STYX helped out with that, and voila! A whole five pages written in the course of two hours. Although I am in a rush so I haven't been able to edit any mistakes I might have done, please forgive me!

Also: I have a poll on my author's page, please do me the favor of participating!

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Chapter 14: Salvation

Her joints felt stiff as she rolled over onto her side, her face burying deep within the cool cushion of her pillow. Slowly, her eyelids slid open before she glanced around the pillow fabric to check her surroundings. The usual clutter of the dorm room she'd been staying in for the past few months registered in her mind, though she knew that wasn't right.

Stretching the kinks in her muscles, Josie pushed herself up to her knees and surveyed everything from the tiled floor to the overstuffed bookcase in the corner. Her cell phone lay forlorn on the nightstand beside her. Hesitantly, she reached out for the device and pressed a button to check the time.

The date seemed right and a glance out the window showed the time to be true as well. Placing the phone back on the wooden stand, Josie crawled awkwardly from the bed to stand over Amanda's empty one.

She never made her bed. Yet, the sheets were tucked into the sides and the pillow looked firm and puffed out at the top of the covers.

Licking her lips in thought, Josie suddenly found her mouth to be scratchy dry. If she remembered correctly, Amanda had taken the last of the water bottles from the mini-fridge, leaving the only option to be the water fountain down the hall.

Numbly making her way to the door, Josie was startled to find that the door was locked. Amanda had never shown any sign of caring for her privacy and Josie couldn't remember locking the door herself. Pushing the oddity aside, she simply turned the lock on the knob and attempted to open the door again.

Alarms began to go off when the door wouldn't budge. Twisting the knob more insistently, Josie fought the urge to kick the darned thing. It was way too early for crap such as that, in her opinion.

"_Me? Well, my dear, I'm your worst nightmare."_

Shaking her head at the sudden intrusion in her thoughts, Josie involuntarily stepped back.

"_What do you want?"_

Her hands flew to her head in confusion.

"_What I am here for is you."_

"Shit, no." she murmured, sweat beading down her forehead.

"_Your service to me. You may be fighting me now, dear, but trust me. My being here in your dreams is proof enough that it won't be long until you are completely mine."_

Frantically, Josie rushed back to the door and peered through an eye hole she hadn't noticed to be in the center before.

There, just on the other side of the door was the outside world. The door was all that stood in the way, though she kicked and banged on it with all her strength, she couldn't get through. Everything came back to her in an overwhelming swarm that she soon collapsed against the exit of her prison.

She was trapped once again, which would only mean that Chase was still there and still in charge.

Evelyn ran the distance to a slope that would lead her all the way down to her fallen cousin. The slope was narrow and almost strictly vertical, but it was the closest she could find to being a safe way down.

The rain poured heavily, making any grip impossible to hold until soon, she was speedily slipping the rest of the way down the muddy slope. A protruding stone painfully met her side, halting her descent before she could have seriously been injured at the bottom.

Clenching her teeth through the pain, Evelyn moved away from the rock to slide the short distance to where she could once again push herself messily to her feet to race to where she hoped Josie would be.

"Josie!" She called out when she finally did spot the lone figure sprawled on the muddy ground.

Sliding through a puddle, Evelyn knelt beside her cousin, her hands hovering just over the girl's body, unsure of what to do. Quickly, she checked the temperature of her skin, her panic growing with the stone cold feel.

Fighting back the warm tears that wanted desperately to fall, Evelyn swept her eyes over Josie's form, stopping at the small puddle of red just behind her head.

"Oh, no, oh, God," Latching onto one of Josie's frozen palms; Evelyn glanced around in desperation for some sort of help. "Damn it." Hopelessness began to creep into her spine as she found that there was no way to get back up with Josie the way she was. Not by herself anyway.

Hope surged through her as she quickly pulled her cell phone from her pocket and called the last previous number she'd received.

"_Evelyn, where are you?" _The voice answered before the first ring could even register.

"The cliff to the south. We're at the bottom, but you have to bring help, Josie's unconscious and bleeding from the head!"

"_We'll be right there."_

* * *

She didn't question how quickly they arrived; why only one of them looked as if they'd taken to the muddy slope like she had; how they were able to navigate a clear path back up in such short time, or why they took her to a mansion she learned to be Caleb's home instead of a hospital.

A beautiful elder woman bandaged Josie's head, her breath smoky as she spoke reassurances to Evelyn about the girl's health. One of the boys handed her a towel which she unconsciously wrapped around her shoulders to keep warm.

"It's just a small scratch. How did you say she got it?" The woman questioned once she was finished and pulling away to stand to her full height.

"Mom, can I talk to you?" Caleb spoke aloud while descending the stairs from the second level. A towel hung around his neck while his hair still carried drops of water. His appearance was fresh and clean, causing Evelyn to quickly turn her gaze away so that her glower would not be noticed.

"You'd be welcome to the shower. I don't think Caleb would mind."

Startled, Evelyn turned to her side and found Pogue sitting in the chair nearest the cushion in which she sat. Hiding her embarrassment at the suggestion, she simply turned away and responded: "I'd rather not, thanks."

Reid cocked his eyebrows at the two while standing in the furthest corner from everyone. Caleb did his best to fill his mother in on the details she would need to know to let them stay there for awhile. They had to finish this as quickly as possible and the last thing he needed was his mother questioning him on his methods every step of the way.

When he finally convinced his mother to leave them be, he called out to Pogue and began to converse with him on the next plan of action. Fed up with being left out of the loop, Reid decided to join them outside the living room, wanting in on what was going to happen.

Tyler remained by the table next to the couch where Josie lay. The air was tense in its silence, making both he and Evelyn uncomfortable and unwilling to speak.

Josie's condition had improved very little. While Caleb's mother had helped her to remove Josie's wet clothes and get her in warmer ones, the girl's cheeks still felt an icy cold and held a tinge of blue where a creamy red should have been. But her pulse was going and her head was bandaged, Evelyn was willing to be thankful for that much.

"Do you have to argue with me on everything, Reid?" Caleb's voice suddenly carried to the living room, causing both Tyler and Evelyn to turn their attention to the three just out in the hall.

The two shared a silent glance before Tyler lifted himself from his seat and headed towards the hall himself. Clasping her hands together and resting them under her chin, Evelyn returned her worried gaze to Josie.

"We can't have her here when we get the girl ready. Just take her with you to get the book." Pogue spoke in a mediating tone as Tyler joined the three.

Reid shook his head, his whole body tense and insistent on rejecting Caleb's plan. Tyler stood next to his friend and looked to Caleb for an answer to what was going on. The oldest wasn't able to speak however, because Reid had some words of his own to say.

"I'm just as powerful as you now, Caleb. I can do anything you can, I can help."

"Reid, this power is new to you. It's nothing in comparison to what we had before." Caleb's eyes were fiercely dark while his jaw remained strict as it always did when he assumed command over Reid.

"What's going on?" Tyler finally questioned aloud.

Sighing, Caleb turned his attention to Tyler, though Pogue was the one to speak.

"We're going to perform an exorcism on the girl. It seems pretty obvious Chase was using her to get to us and he might still be in there; that's why she hasn't woken up."

"But we've never done an exorcism before." Tyler commented, receiving sighs in return.

"We know," Caleb replied. "That's why we need the book." Here he stared meaningfully at Reid, who rolled his eyes.

"I'm not leaving. Last time I was sent away to 'get supplies' I missed the whole thing."

"We were kids, Reid!" Caleb exhaled in exasperation.

"It still applies!" The blond snapped.

"I'll go." Pogue quickly volunteered.

The three looked to him in surprise, not having expected Pogue of all people to volunteer for a babysitter's job. Reid eyed him curiously as Caleb relented and gave Pogue the okay to go.

Smirking, the tall teen left the circle and reentered the living room to collect Evelyn.

As soon as Pogue approached her, Evelyn nervously looked up in question. The guy gave a toothy smile that she usually associated with an ice breaker to awkward conversations; her stomach clenched while her hand grasped onto the cloth that covered Josie.

"Hi," He greeted, nearly making the girl before him laugh from nerves.

"Hi," She returned, tilting her head just a tad, signaling for him to say whatever he intended to.

"We need to go get some things."

"Okay…"

When she didn't move, Pogue smiled and clarified. "You and me: we."

Now staring at him in confusion, Evelyn cleared her throat to speak clearly, though her voice was still low. "What…things? What for?"

The other boys walked in, immediately catching her attention before she redirected the question to all of them.

Pogue let out a breath from behind a plastered smile; Caleb glanced at Reid and seemed to share a silent conversation; while Tyler's jaw grew slack before he clenched it and redirected his gaze to the general area of Josie's face.

Groaning, Reid stepped forward, gathering everyone's attention. "Look, the chick isn't going to wake for a few hours. These guys want grub and I left my wallet at home." Here he held his hand out to Pogue, who, scowling, reluctantly parted with his own wallet and handed it to Reid. "Do you want to stay with these three losers or come with me?"

Stunned at the arrogant invite, Evelyn's hand clasped more tightly to the blanket. She stared in indecision at her cousin.

While she looked away, Reid turned back to Caleb with a fierce glare. Caleb in turn, slightly shook his head, his decision hardly wavering.

"Look, I'll buy you chocolate," Reid spoke snidely, turning back to face her with an obvious frown still on his face.

When he saw the defiance burn in her dark eyes, he knew he would have to resort to something he seriously didn't want to do.

"Look," his voice sounded drained. "Just come with me…..please…" The word tasted awful in his mouth and it sounded utterly bogus in the silence of the room.

Much to Evelyn's dismay, however, he had used the word 'please,' which etiquette demanded she cave to his plea. Her frown matched Reid's as she replied, "Okay."

Awkwardly, she stood from her seat and took a moment to part from Josie. Taking the chance,

Reid stepped back and whispered fiercely to Caleb.

"I still don't get why _I_ have to tell her."

"She trusts you, Reid, just suck it up and do it." Caleb kept a wary eye on Evelyn as Pogue joined in their conversation.

"Reid, you prick, don't you dare spend any of my money."

Tyler cleared his throat rather loudly and the three turned in time to face Evelyn as she faced them suspiciously.

"All right, let's go." She sighed.

"Well, geez, calm down. We're not going to Paris or anything." Reid grumbled as he led the way out of the room, calling over his shoulder, "Tyler, I'm taking your car."

Rolling his eyes, the Simms teen muttered under his breath, "Of course you are."

Caleb instructed Tyler to go to the garage to get thick rope and a knife to cut it, while he went upstairs to prepare a room and Pogue watched over the unconscious girl.

"Why not have Pogue go? He knows your house better than anyone."

Both boys stared at Tyler, one curiously, the other in amusement.

"Okay, Pogue, come on." Caleb slapped his friend's shoulder before leading him out of the room.

After snickering at the Baby Boy's obvious crush, Pogue turned serious before Caleb left his side to head up the stairs. "Why have Reid of all people tell her? He's not exactly the most trustworthy person among us."

"I know that. But we don't know her and if we all explained, she'd feel as if we're ganging up on her. It's better to hear it from someone you know."

"She could get to know me." Pogue spoke with a mischievous grin.

Smirking at the banter before heading up the stairs, Caleb replied; "Some other time maybe."

* * *

Reid had left little room for the drive to be awkward in silence. From the loud music to his mad driving, Evelyn found she could only sit with her jaws clenched tightly while keeping a death grip on both the arm over hang and the arm rest.

He never glanced in her direction and refrained from attempting any sort of conversation with her, which she couldn't have been more thankful for. It wasn't until she realized that they were taking the road deeper into the country that she felt the need to speak up.

After five failed attempts of pushing herself to say something, she threw her conscience to the wind and yelled over the music, "WHERE ARE WE GOING?"

Her luck struck when the music suddenly died in the middle of her question. Reid glanced at her strangely; causing her cheeks to burn as they'd never burned before and her eyes to momentarily cloud from the blood rush that went to her head. Shutting her eyes and turning her face away for a moment, she took a deep breath to collect her bearings before facing him again.

Rolling his eyes, Reid mentally cursed Caleb and his bad luck. Leaning forward, he lowered the volume so he wouldn't have to yell over the next song that began to play.

"So where are we going?" Evelyn questioned, her voice hiding the embarrassment she felt.

"Believe it or not, I heard you the first time." Reid commented dryly without removing his eyes from the dark wet road.

Face twitching at the comment, Evelyn could only tense her shoulders more as she awaited his answer.

"We're not going to the store. That was just to get you to come."

"Then where-"

"Really, you want to ask that a third time?"

"Just answer the dang question, then. Obviously, we're not going to the store, else I wouldn't have spoken in the first place!"

Biting back a growl of frustration, Reid breathed in deeply to answer in a calm manner. "Look, I'm not going to beat around the bush so don't you complain. Your cousin is possessed. Not by some pea soup eating demon or anything, but by a real bad guy who is a greedy mother-"

"I get it." Evelyn cut in.

Glancing at her for a moment, Reid returned his eyes to the road and turned the knob to higher the music.

Boldly, Evelyn reached forward and lowered the music, once again causing Reid to glance at her with a calculating look in his eye.

"That's it? She's possessed and we're running away?"

"Who said we're running away?" Reid snapped indignantly.

"Well, we're not going to get food for the others, I can only assume."

"Cortez, haven't you ever heard of that little tune involving an ass, you, and _me_?" He shot sarcastically.

"Don't give me the opportunity then. Enlighten me, what are we doing?"

"We're getting a book. Now shut up so I can explain. This book will help us perform an exorcism. And when I say 'us' I mean the guys and me. The only reason we're letting you stay is so that in the moments Josie does come to, she'll be comforted by a face she knows and won't completely freak out. I had to bring you because…"

His tongue pulled his bottom lip under his teeth as he thought for a moment. Evelyn found she had to study him in order to not interrupt when he was obviously thinking…very hard.

"Because...?" Instantly she covered her mouth and her eyes widened as Reid glowered at her.

"Because there are some things you need to know before we do this."

The history of Chase, the covenant, and their powers took the rest of the drive to explain. He explained how the growing suspicion of Chase's return began and how they narrowed it down to Josie. He left out the part where he started getting Evelyn involved so that he could learn more about the new girl and any other outer influences that may have explained things about her actions. The fact was, getting her involved had resulted in learning squat about the girl; the only thing that helped somewhat was discovering the gradual tension that grew between the two.

"So, this guy, Chase, is inside Josie right now…" Evelyn clarified, more to herself than to Reid, though she did look to him for a nod, which he gave. Running a hand over her forehead, Evelyn closed her eyes to digest everything. "And the lightning and everything, he was the one in the woods; he was controlling her, how?"

"That's usually how a possession works," Reid replied as if he were talking to a child.

Evelyn scowled. "But he was _outside_ of her."

"What we think happened was that he drained her energy and took it into himself, using it to create an apparition. He all but admitted it to me before he disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"Just before you called, he did."

"That's when Josie fell-" Evelyn's voice broke off as the image of her cousin landing the way she had played in her head. "So you think when she lost consciousness, he did too?"

"It makes sense." Reid replied with a shrug. "He drew his energy from her and when she was knocked out cold, he had no heat to pull from her."

The vehicle slowed to a halt before a worn old wood planked fence. Putting the vehicle in park, Reid told her to stay in the car before unbuckling himself and reaching for the door handle.

Evelyn opened her mouth as if to call out to him, but her throat closed off and he'd closed the door to walk out in the rain. Fighting off the feeling of rejection she suddenly felt, Evelyn settled deeper into the car seat. Crossing her arms across her chest, her eyes followed Reid's form as he crossed a long yard to a large shadowed house that looked just as old and beaten as the fence that surrounded its property.

There was no time to be thinking about him anyway, she reprimanded herself. The focus was releasing Josie from Chase's control. After that, things would go back to normal. Reid would pretend they didn't know each other while dating every easy hot girl that came along and she would go back to school work, school work, and oh yes, the school work.


	15. Mind & Body

A/N: A bit over three months have passed since an update has been made for this story and I apologize greatly for the delay. I don't know what it is about the holidays, but I seem to be more inspired during them. Here it is, Christmas day and after all the excitement, I retreat to my room and finish up this chapter which, pardon my language, was kicking my ass. Enough with my woes! Merry Christmas everyone!!! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Thank you LacedWithLove and TwilightRaver for your reviews. Your support is greatly appreciated!

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Chapter 15: Mind & Body

Inside, she rocked herself back and forth in front of the locked door. It'd been a long while now since the world outside had turned pitch black. Whether that meant she were unconscious or dead, she couldn't yet tell.

'_I'm going to go crazy.'_ She realized in a shocked moment of terror; before blowing a raspberry and rolling her eyes.

"If I'm not already!" She yelled out before squeezing her arms tighter around her knees. She briefly wondered if this was how people in padded rooms felt: alone, cold, and cut off from the world.

"Oh, God, this is why there were so many Jack Sparrows in the last Pirates movie." She groaned before rubbing her arms and pushing herself to her feet.

Though partly curious as to whether or not she could create multiples of herself, a larger part was dead set on not being trapped long enough to find out. If there was a locked door standing in her way, she would just have to conjure up a way to open it.

Having a year's experience in counseling sessions (sessions forced by her parents), she'd be damned if she hadn't picked up the ability to meditate in order to produce non-violent solutions to problems.

Settling back onto the floor, this time facing the darned door, brown eyes slipped to a close while olive toned hands rested calmly on the bent knees of her crossed legs.

* * *

Tyler Simms remained in the seat by Josie's side for the remainder of the evening, his eyes taking in every inch of her unconscious face. From her dark lashes, slim, small nose, pale pouted lips, to her curved cheeks which slowly began to regain color…

The boy began to feel the strong clutch of paranoia take hold over him from openly staring. Part of him wondered if Caleb and Pogue were leaving him alone with her for so long on purpose.

The thought of the two was enough for him to lift his eyes and take in a cautionary breath while sitting up straighter.

Finding some rope and a knife shouldn't take this much time, the boy thought in an attempt to switch his attention to something else for awhile. Standing from his seat, Tyler took the few strides to the doorway leading out of the living room and placed one hand on the mahogany doorframe to peer up the stairs to the second floor.

As if he had sent out a silent call, Caleb appeared over the railing and motioned for Tyler to join him.

"Bring the girl." He ordered before disappearing back down the hall.

"You're not going to help me?" Tyler questioned without a second's thought to which he berated himself for soon after.

To his relief, Caleb didn't reappear to give him a mocking look as Reid or Pogue surely would have. The eldest Ipswich son simply called back, "You can handle her."

Turning on his heel, Tyler returned his attention to Josie, whose breathing remained even and slow. Lifting her proved to be easy enough, though it proved challenging to situate an unconscious body in one's arms without feeling as if they could fall through at any moment. Her arms would fall one way then her head would roll another and soon Tyler found he had to sit himself on the couch with Josie in his lap in order to get a good grip and position her correctly.

Finally, with her head leaning against his shoulder and her arms folded across her stomach, Tyler was able to carry Josie up the stairs without any slips. The stairs opened up to a long carpeted hallway that presented six doorways, three on each side, and a large glass window spanning almost five feet in height at the end.

The last door on the left appeared to be the only one open with light cascading out into the hallway.

Pogue sat atop a red wood dresser, his hands placed firmly on either side of his body while his eyes watched Caleb pace from one end of the room to the other, mumbling off the list of items which were still needed and which had already been acquired.

As soon as Tyler entered with Josie awkwardly held in his arms, the biker teen felt the need to burst out in laughter, however with the tense waves coming off both his friends, Pogue felt his humor would be wasted. Instead, he remained silent as Caleb directed Tyler to place Josie on the bed so they could proceed to tie both her wrists and ankles with the rope Pogue had gathered.

"We're tying her to the bed?" Tyler inquired as soon as he noticed Caleb's hands binding the rope to a post at the head of the bed.

"We don't know who will wake up first," Caleb answered without lifting his head. "Josie or Chase. Until we know, we're taking precaution." His hands moved from the bed post to tie the same strip of rope around one of Josie's wrists.

Noticing Tyler's hesitation, Pogue pushed himself from the dresser and strode over to the bed to start on the bindings around her ankles.

It wasn't until a moan escaped a pair of pale lips that the boys noticed a fourth in their party had regained consciousness.

* * *

Reid had never actually thought about the weight of the book before. The last time he'd carried it with his own two hands had been when he was a kid, and even then Pogue and Caleb had been holding it with him so they all could read from its contents.

The pages were thick, tainted yellow with time, and frail; encased by an even thicker, solid and worn leather cover. However, the book itself proved to be light-weight as Reid pulled it from the dark bookcase in the covenant's underground bat-cave.

Well, that's what they used to refer to it as; once again, when they were kids.

Tucking the volume close against him, Reid quickly ran back up the stairs, through the house, and out across the yard. It'd stopped raining, he noted, though the air had filled with a harsh cold that chilled the grass beneath his feet and reminded doubters that it was indeed winter.

It wasn't long until he approached the expedition, opened the door, and climbed in.

"Hold that," He ordered, handing the book to the girl seated in the passenger's seat. "Be careful with it." He added mechanically before closing the door.

For years Caleb had refrained from allowing Reid to handle the book in any way, shape, or form. Now that he actually had, he'd be damned if anything happened to it while in his custody. Caleb would only believe it to mean he'd been right all along, and the Garwin teen enjoyed those few moments he could prove the _fearless leader_ wrong. Someone needed to.

As he switched the ignition on, Evelyn chose to speak up.

"Your phone has been ringing." She motioned to the cup holders that rested between them before securely pressing the large book against her stomach.

Wordlessly, he picked the cellular device and dialed the number he'd missed three calls from.

"Did you think of something else you want me to run and fetch for you?" He questioned sarcastically as soon as a deep voice answered.

"_What's taking you so long?"_

"Don't get your panties in a twist, I got it, we're on our way back."

"_Did you explain things to her?"_

"Yes."

"_Reid, you be careful with that book-"_

Closing the device, Reid tossed it into the back seat with a scowl, keeping his now annoyed blue gaze on the road.

Evelyn watched the Garwin's actions in nervous anticipation, though when it appeared that he wasn't going to speak, she refocused her attention on the book in her lap. While she'd been alone in the expedition, her mind had been able to take in and analyze certain pieces of information, leading to the decision to at least ask one question.

Though on the drive to retrieve the book Reid had openly discussed and informed her of things, she feared that now on the way back, the time for sharing was over. Still, the silence was tense and she had to try, right?

Her eyes squeezed shut and her hands clasped tighter around the book.

"So…just to make this clear…"

When she didn't continue straight away, Reid glanced at her impatiently, but remained silent anyway.

"All this time you've been following me…these past weeks…it's been to get info on Josie, right?"

"You catch on quick," He commented dryly without giving her a second glance.

Catching his sarcasm, Evelyn dropped her chin momentarily before shaking it off and turning her inquisitive brown eyes to him. "Why not just go to the source? I doubt you learned much from me."

After a long pause, Reid finally shook his head. "Your cousin is lying unconscious with an evil guy inside of her and you're asking me why I followed you around?"

He may have been with many ladies, but it was something about their train of thought he'd never understand. Though, he _could_ label it, and that would be 'trivial.'

Clenching her teeth in annoyance, Evelyn lifted her eyes to gaze out the windshield in an attempt to calm herself. "I'm _aware_ of where my cousin is…" She began patiently, though Reid was quick to intercept.

"So how about worrying about her for a bit, the next couple of hours aren't going to exactly be peachy."

"I have all night to worry about her." She snapped to get her point across. "Let me have these few minutes of trivial conversation."

Both of Reid's hands slid to the top of the wheel as he kept his lips glued shut and made it a point not to look at the girl next to him.

At his silence, Evelyn leaned her head back on the head rest, her eyes steadily held on Reid's face. "Please, answer the question." She requested in seriousness.

She could distinguish a few thoughts that flittered across his features before eventually, he visually caved in.

"When I started growing suspicious of Josie, I was originally going to investigate by myself; but then Caleb got to be so nosy eventually I had to let him and the others in on my plan."

'_How terrible,'_ Evelyn thought dryly as she fought the strong urge to roll her eyes.

"When Caleb saw who I was talking about, he said I should let Tyler take the job since everyone knows that boy is too shy to hit on a Carmen Elektra cut-out let alone a real life girl. And anyway, when we discovered the two of you were related, Caleb saw an opportunity to put me to use."

He then raised his fingers from the wheel along with his shoulders, signifying that he was through with his explanation.

He had been vague. Extremely vague. Though, it didn't take long for the puzzle pieces to click together. Evelyn rolled her head to the front so her eyes could gaze dazedly out the windshield glass.

"So they trusted you to pull information from a girl you couldn't hit on and would never dream about starting things with." She summed up, a corner of her mouth twitching in bemusement. "Smart."

The rest of the drive continued in silence.

* * *

Bewildered brown eyes swept around the room and briefly studied each of the three occupants that surrounded them. Her head ached but that was only a dull pain that could be ignored for the moment.

"What's going on?" Her voice croaked from lack of hydration in the last few hours.

Tyler watched as Josie Gellar attempted to sit up, then slowly begin to panic when she realized that her hands and legs were constrained.

"What the hell's going on?" She questioned, her eyes now flashing fiercely from one man to the other. Her eyes landed on Tyler and their gaze locked for a few seconds longer before Tyler cleared his throat and looked away.

Caleb stepped forward, still careful to keep his distance from the bed, his eyes cautiously locked onto Josie's. "We need you to stay calm." He spoke slowly.

"For _what_?" She snapped, jerking on the ropes around her wrists. "If any of you so much as tries to touch me, I _swear _I'll bite your ear off!"

Tyler and Pogue exchanged nervous glances behind Caleb as said teen raised his hands in show of mercy.

"We're not going to touch you, you can trust us." He reasoned, his eyes steadily holding Josie's suspicious ones.

"_Why am I tied up?_" She seethed, stressing each word.

"Because Chase could still be inside of you," Caleb answered, dropping his hands down to his sides. "Things are easier for us this way."

Dropping her head back, the girl let out a long sigh, relaxing only slightly. "Well, he's not here at the moment. Is it really necessary?"

"Yes." All three men in the room answered.

Slowly she rolled her head around the pillow to gaze at each evenly, though she said nothing. The silence was broken by the front door down stairs swinging open and slamming closed.

"Reid's back." Caleb sighed before running a hand back through his hair. "Tyler go get him."

Mutely, Josie's eyes watched the Simms teen exit the room before switching their attention to Caleb.

"Reid, it's about time," Tyler called down, standing at the middle of the stairway.

Emerging from the living room at the sound of Tyler's voice, Reid rolled his eyes before turning back to Evelyn to retrieve the book from her.

"What took you so long?" Tyler continued to question as both Reid and Evelyn walked up to join him on the stairs.

Reid dropped the book into Tyler's arms before giving him a sardonic stare. "The place is pretty far in case you forgot. Which you obviously did." At Tyler's returning frown, Reid slapped his shoulder and ran ahead the rest of the steps to start down the hall. "You guys better not have started without me."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Tyler muttered darkly. He moved to follow, though hesitated when he noticed that Evelyn still stood beside him, looking as if she were unsure on whether or not to follow. "Your cousin is awake." He spoke, the information causing her eyes to widen.

"Is she okay, can I see her?"

"Just come," He replied instead, turning away quickly to head up the stairs.

Since the two walked together silently towards the room, they were able to hear a low chuckle that belonged to none of the occupants in the room…that they knew of. The hairs on the back of Tyler's neck lifted at an odd sensation that passed over him as soon as he and Evelyn entered the doorway.

"What gave me away? Was it the fast acceptance of the situation or the disinterest in where my security blanket was?"

Dismay washed over Tyler as soon as a pair of pitch black eyes crossed to latch onto him from the face of a familiar someone.

He heard Evelyn gasp softly behind him and saw a smirk slant across Josie's lips.

"Speak of the devil."

So he was still in her. Caleb had been right to worry. Of all the times Tyler had wished for his friend to be wrong, his disappointment that he remained to be right even now trumped all.

Beads of sweat protruded along the lines of his forehead, though he made an effort to ignore them and the twisting of his gut. Turning his eyes from the girl tied to the bed, Tyler looked to Caleb for instructions on what to do next.

Caleb's expression had both darkened and hardened as he held the old book in his arms and studied its contents.

"Hi, Cousin," Chase spoke through Josie's lips. "How was your trip? Did you have fun?" She…He…It spoke sarcastically as Josie's brows lowered over her menacing eyes.

"Ignore her," Tyler muttered, his back still tensely turned on both girls.

"Big words coming from the _baby_ of the group."

Tyler's eyes shut momentarily as it took all his self restraint not to retort to that comment. His fists clenched tightly, his fingernails digging into the skin of his palms as he clenched his jaw and switched his gaze to Reid. The Garwin appeared to be just as peeved if not more.

Caleb cut through the tension, his voice deep and commanding. "Evelyn, wait out in the hall and close the door behind you."

At her hesitance, Chase twisted Josie's lips into a cruel smile. "Yes. Go. Leave. You're unwanted here."

Evelyn's brown eyes flared at the audacious words though Caleb was quick to stop any action she may have taken.

"Go now."

Taking a step back out into the hallway, Evelyn grasped the door handle and swiftly pulled the door to a close.

At the sound of the handle being released, Caleb stepped forward. "Come around the bed."

Pogue, Reid and Tyler mutely complied with Caleb's order; Reid and Pogue stood to the left of the bed, Tyler joined Caleb on the right.

Josie's head tilted back, watching all four of them with an arrogant pride. "Do what you have to. But you're not getting rid of me so easily. She's still in here." The pitch black eyes moved to Tyler and the twisted smile grew in length. "She's meditating…as if that's going to do her any good."

Tyler's pulse intensified.

"Maybe she should keep doing that." Caleb replied nonchalantly.

Josie's chin snapped to Caleb who slowly lifted his eyes to stare back at the possessed girl. "Who knows. If she's kept a little of herself from you for this long, she may be able to help in getting rid of you."

* * *

_Try harder_.

The words echoed around her, encircling her, encouraging her…freaking her out!

Brown eyes snapped wide open and swept the room in a quick flash. Once she was sure she was alone in the room she let out a sigh in relief.

She cut her sigh short, throwing her arms up in the air and growling in frustration. "The hell?"

She shouldn't still be in the damned room in the first place! She should've escaped by _now_!

"Try harder," She spat. "Try harder my ass!"

Josie pushed herself up from the floor, walked to the nearest wall and gave it a good kick. Her fingers curled with the fast pulse of blood that flowed through her veins. Adrenaline. She still had it even when trapped in her own mind. She continued to kick the wall until her hair began to loosen from its hold and fall across her face. Panting from the excursion, she fell back to the floor and fought the urge to cry right then and there.

What would it matter? No one was around to see her.

Her breathing slowed along with her thoughts.

If no one was around, then where had those words come from? Had she finally done it? Had she finally gone insane?

Tremendous pounding crashed into her silent musings, startling her to jump back across the floor, her back pressing flat against the end of her bed. She frantically wondered who or what could be on the other side when suddenly the pounding ceased.

Her ragged breath was the only sound she could hear as her body visibly trembled.

"Little pig, little pig," A voice slurred venomously from the other side. "Let. Me. In."


	16. Soul

A/N: Three months have passed yet again! Thank you Athena DragonSeeker21 for your review and everyone else who is still reading this story. I had fun writing this chapter in bits, so enjoy! Easter is coming up, so Happy Easter!

* * *

** Chapter Sixteen: Soul **

How long had they been in there?

An hour?

Three?

Dragging her fingers through her scalp, Evelyn couldn't bear to watch the door any longer and instead looked to an oak grandfather clock that sat against the wall across from her. Forty-five minutes. The first half hour had been spent standing just outside the door and pacing unsurely. So, for fifteen minutes of sitting immobile with knees pulled against her chest and her back hunched over, it explained why the aches and pains in her body were slowly slipping into awareness.

In the shock of everything happening so quickly, Evelyn hadn't noticed the burning ache in her side or the pin pricks that felt like acid on her cheeks and around her legs. When she tried to rub the feeling away, her arms would scream in protest at the movement.

Even resting her head on her knees caused too much pain; so she simply sat and waited. Until, that is, Josie's screams erupted from behind the closed door.

* * *

Beads of sweat began to burn at the corners of Tyler's eyes, though he ignored the itch and remained focused on the writhing body before him. Her once healthy cream skin was chalk pale as it stretched across her exposed neck and was whipped by her dark brown hair as her head thrashed from side to side on the pillow.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it," Her voice rasped in ragged pain.

Tyler's jaw clenched. His throat suddenly became very dry. His glistening black eyes lifted from the girl to his friends. Their eyes were just as black as his own, their faces each etched in concentration and pensive determination. Their power filled the room in an icy chill that seemed to be affecting everything but their body temperatures.

When they chanted and breathed, wisps of heated moisture would float through the air.

Tyler felt Caleb shift beside him and immediately understood that his moment of hesitance was over. Shutting his eyes, the Simms teen directed all of his energy on ignoring everything that surrounded him so as to focus on the first task of three.

* * *

The bitter cold surrounded her; biting at her skin and freezing the moisture in her eyes. Thinking on her toes, Josie jumped over her bed to slide open the closet door.

Hands shaking, she grabbed all the clothes she could from the hangars and dropped them onto the bed. Her teeth audibly chattered as she began to pull layer upon layer of clothing over her body before moving to her dresser in search of her blue gloves.

The pounding and hollering of Chase outside the door had yet to cease.

"Just shut up and go away!" She yelled over her shoulder. She paused in shock at how choked her voice sounded. Fighting back a sudden onset of tears, Josie silently reprimanded herself, chiding softly that she was an idiot for crying at such a time.

The freezing air suddenly sliced through her body, causing her legs to collapse from beneath her so that she fell awkwardly with her hands still clinging to the open drawer of her dresser. Her lips parted desperately as she clumsily reached for the blanket covering her bed and yanked it towards herself. Her numb fingers clutched onto the fabric, pulling it around her huddled form and burying themselves within its depths.

'Just keep concentrating.' She ordered herself before shutting her eyes and uneasily rocking herself back and forth.

* * *

"Come on Josie, you can do this." Evelyn murmured to herself as she dropped her head into her hands and uneasily swayed her body from side to side.

The continuing screams from behind the door caused Evelyn to shut her eyes and clutch her fingers around the top of her head.

"You can do this!" She repeated forcefully, though any witnesses would have questioned whether the words were meant for her cousin or herself.

The screams suddenly subsided, leaving the air in the hallway heavy with deafening silence. Evelyn didn't dare look up; her eyes remained clenched so that her vision consisted solely of darkness and specks of neon colors.

Moments later the creaking sound of a door slowly opening assaulted her ears. Soon after, footsteps approached her slowly and heavily.

'_Don't be a coward,'_ She chastised herself when she realized that the steps had halted just in front of her. _'Face them.'_

Slowly, lifting her head from her hands, Evelyn blinked the blurriness from her vision and wiped away the stray tears that had unknowingly left her eyes. Looking up, she saw Pogue's somber face all too clearly. Beads of sweat still lined his forehead and the sides of his face, bringing the idea that he'd just ran four miles to mind. His blue eyes averted looking into her brown as if he were trying to keep something from her.

"The first part is done," He informed, his voice low and exhausted. "You can come see her for a bit before we continue."

Evelyn fostered no thoughts as she pushed herself to her feet without her eyes leaving his face. She nodded her head slightly, though it was enough for Pogue to move to the side in allowance for her to walk alongside him back to the room.

Quietly they walked through the door together, though Evelyn immediately stepped to the right away from Pogue and halted in place.

Josie's body lay on the bed, nearly lifeless with dark circles around closed eyes and red crusted scratches haphazardly crossing each other along her chin and each of her curled hands. A part of her wished to sit beside Josie on the bed and at least touch her forehead to tell she was okay. Though, she thoroughly ignored that part of herself and remained rooted where she stood.

"What do you have to do next?" She questioned the room softly instead.

When no one answered, she slowly moved her gaze from her cousin to Caleb who stood across the room from her. A dark look had crossed his face, causing goose bumps to rise along Evelyn's arms.

To see the usually clam Caleb glare at anyone was beyond alarming; though confusion sparked when she realized he was glaring at Reid who stood just to her right.

"You said you told her everything." Pogue's voice cut through the sudden tense silence.

Reid averted his gaze from everyone and stood away from the wall he'd been leaning against.

"I told her what she needed to know."

"And she didn't need to know this?"

Caleb grabbed his friend's arm before Pogue could do anything stupid. Granted, he himself wanted to harm Reid in that moment; he knew it was neither the time nor the place.

"Know what?" Evelyn's voice quivered, whether in frustration or fear, the boys couldn't discern.

Pogue pulled out of Caleb's grasp and instead paced to another side of the room.

"Reid did tell you that we have to remove Chase from Josie's mind, body, and soul." Caleb inquired without actually asking.

Eyebrows drew together in confusion as her gaze flicked to the Garwin teen. "Yes." She breathed cautiously.

Caleb locked his serious gaze on Evelyn until eventually she lifted her eyes and returned his stare.

"We finished cleansing Chase from her mind so that when she next wakes up she'll be herself." He paused and Evelyn battled down the sudden hope that had surged at the news. "But the next step is to remove his attachment from her soul, which is…complex."

Evelyn tilted her head at the word, 'complex.' Though, her question remained unvoiced when she noticed Pogue had turned back to her, his face nothing short of apologetic. She quickly looked away from him and noticed that even Tyler, who hadn't left from his perch next to Josie, was watching her closely, though not in apology. He seemed to be studying her as if she were supposed to react a certain way.

"How complex?" She questioned after swallowing a wad of saliva for her sudden dry throat.

"If we mess up even in the slightest," Caleb began gravely. "Then there's a great chance she won't wake up again."

Evelyn's eyes widened and her shoulders trembled as she felt she'd literally been punched in the chest by iron knuckles.

That information would have been great to know before they started. It would have been better to be kept in the loop instead of the dark. But how in the hell could the situation have turned so serious? This was _Josie_. Her _cousin_ for crying out loud! Nothing life threatening was ever supposed to happen to her. It just wasn't.

"That's crap."

Tyler snapped his attention down to the girl lying on the bed and felt his breath hitch when he saw dazed brown orbs glancing up at him through half lidded eyes.

"Josie," Evelyn whispered numbly. Her feet still refused to take her any closer to the bed and her fingers curled into her palms in uncertainty.

"Are you guys even qualified for the job?" Josie continued deliriously, oblivious to the reactions of everyone in the room.

"We're the best chance you've got." Reid spoke when no one else did. His arms were now tightly crossed over his chest as he made sure to keep his attention on Josie and not on Caleb's disapproving stare.

"H-how are you feeling?" Evelyn voiced, reverting to her role as the older cousin.

Josie slowly rolled her head to the side and experimentally licked her lips. God, it felt good to be in charge of her body again! She would have been jumping up and down in excitement if she weren't restrained and aching all over.

"I'm thirsty," she decided to answer. "There water in this place?" _Wherever this place is_, she added silently.

She was still unable to completely open her eyes and observe her surroundings. But she heard Evelyn and could feel that everyone around her wanted to keep her safe. She'd trust the restraints a little longer, just until she had enough energy to demand she be freed from them.

"Reid, water," Caleb instructed without a moment's hesitation, though his attention turned to the blond when he heard a distinct scoff in response.

"It's your house." Reid returned flippantly.

Standing to his full height, Caleb momentarily glanced at Josie and the two at her side before purposefully walking to the door and grabbing the curve of Reid's left arm as he passed.

Pogue silently watched as Caleb pulled Reid from the room and noticed Evelyn turned to watch their exit as well. She was quick to turn her attention back to Josie but not before briefly locking gazes with him.

Despite popular opinion, Pogue wasn't an idiot. He understood situations and knew when things should be said and when things shouldn't. This was a moment when things should not. But he could see it plain as day. Evelyn liked Reid. And was scared of it.

He briefly wondered if after all of this was over, anything interesting would happen.

Knowing his blond friend well led to the answer of 'most likely not,' and soon Pogue pushed the idea away all together.

Tyler slowly moved forward, his hands moving to Josie's head. Both cousins immediately turned wary glances on the boy, causing his entire body to freeze in place. Blue clashed with two different shades of brown as Tyler's gaze shifted from one girl to the other.

"I was just going to adjust the pillows behind your head so you can talk easier." He explained in a hurry, his tired face still managing to turn an adorable shade of pink.

Josie grunted her allowance along with a weak nod of her head.

Once again, Tyler's hands reached forward, this time more aware of the girl's comfort. As he pulled one pillow over another and assisted in lifting her head higher to situate both underneath her, he began to feel his heart beat faster and his palms begin to sweat.

'_Stupid, stupid, stupid,'_ Tyler cursed himself, quickly leaning back in his seat once his task was done.

"Tell me," Josie spoke awkwardly after a moment. "Is he really going to be gone after you guys do what you do?"

After sharing a glance with Pogue, Tyler dropped his gaze and gave two quick nods of his head.

"Yeah," He murmured.

Relaxing into the pillows, Josie let her eyelids fully drop. "That's a relief."

Evelyn's pulse raced at the realization that her cousin had just fallen into unconsciousness. Finally her feet allowed movement. She quickly stepped to the side of the bed and knelt on the floor to be level with the pale girl.

"Josie," she called shakily, lifting a hand to the bed covers. When no response was given she looked up to Tyler then Pogue. "Is she supposed to be like this?"

"She's just tired." Pogue assured while stepping forward. "Give her some time, she's been through a lot and still has more to go."

Surprisingly, that didn't make her feel better at all.

Clutching onto the bed cover, Evelyn slowly pushed herself back to her feet. "This next thing you're going to do…" She began softly before clenching her hands into fists and continuing. "Is it going to be painful for her? I mean, earlier…was that her screaming, or..?"

Pogue's face hardened into a tense expression as he answered. "It was Chase. All the pain was his. But now that we've gotten him to give Josie back her control, she'll be feeling everything from here on out. That's why this next part worries us. It's going to take a heavy toll on her physically and mentally."

Evelyn's bottom lip trembled as she nearly exclaimed, "But it's already taken a physical toll on her. She can't even stay awake!"

"You're going to have to trust us." Caleb's deep voice declared from the doorway.

Evelyn turned to face Caleb but only saw Reid as he reluctantly stepped towards her and handed her a crystal glass of water while muttering a small 'here.'

"Thanks," she muttered just as quietly, taking the glass from his fingers. Dismay filled her as she turned from him to face in Josie's general direction. "She's already out, though. When do you plan to continue?"

She felt Reid tense at her side; could practically hear his thoughts that ranted how he had run an errand for nothing; though she chose to ignore it.

A deep sigh left Caleb's lips as he uncrossed his arms from his chest. "Now would be best."

A deafening silence followed his words.

"Caleb," Tyler began, but the leader of the group was quick to intercept.

"With her unconscious, we have a better chance of succeeding without distraction."

"And if she wakes up in the middle of it?" Reid threw in, crossing his arms and watching Caleb with guarded interest.

Caleb remained silent for a moment, bringing a hand over his mouth as he thought up an answer. His dark brown eyes studied Josie before slowly sliding over to gaze at Evelyn.

"You'll have to stay here this time." He spoke in finality. His eyes smoldered into hers, both captivating and frightening her. "If she wakes up at any time during the removal, you're going to have to talk to her. Keep her calm so that we can concentrate on getting the job done. Just don't, at any time at all, make direct contact with her. Can you do that?"

Evelyn nodded. "Yes."

"That's nice and all," Pogue spoke up, his eyes shining in concern. "But Caleb, are you sure we should continue so soon? Just getting Chase to relinquish his control took a toll on all of us. We're going to need to recuperate if we want to do this right."

"The longer we wait, the longer Chase is inside draining her life away." Caleb turned to his best friend unflinchingly. "We're doing this now while he is still weak."

* * *

Evelyn placed the glass of water on a satin cloth that covered the nightstand by the large bed. The four boys each stepped to a side of the bed as she knelt on the carpet and rested her hands on the bed cover by Josie's resting body.

Reid silently watched from across the bed as Evelyn's eyes wondered across Josie's face and rested on the slow rise and fall of her chest. His blue eyes narrowed slightly when he noticed the slight crease in her forehead and the hardening of her chin as she clenched her jaws together.

Her head dropped and her lips parted slightly to take in a quiet breath. He held his ground when she eventually lifted her head again and inadvertently latched her eyes onto his. He took in the slight hitch in her breath when their eyes met and wondered what she thought while staring back.

Caleb didn't give him much time to think, though. Soon, he dropped his chin to his chest and shut his eyes in concentration. He could feel the power scorching through his veins with every pump of his heart. His palms tingled and his lips parted from the rising adrenaline rush. When he opened his eyes he knew they had bled black just as Pogue's had across from him.

Sweat began to protrude at the back of his neck just below the strands of his blond hair.

'_Time to work.'_ He thought grimly.

* * *

Josie's back violently arched and her mouth dropped open as a cry of pain pierced the room.

"Josie, you stay with me damn it!" Evelyn yelled over the girl's wails and shrieks.

Her body fell back into the bed and her head thrashed from side to side while her arms and legs pulled on the restraints in an attempt to free herself.

"Evelyn," Pogue ground out through his clenched teeth. His body stood tensely beside Evelyn, making his growling of her name that much more urgent.

Slamming her hand down repeatedly on the pillow, Evelyn called out once again. "Josie, look at me! Look at me, girl, come on!"

Josie breathed tersely through her lips before jerking her head towards her cousin and opening her eyes. Tears spilled from the copper orbs and Evelyn's heart thundered at the tortured expression on her face.

"I know it hurts, Jos, I know-"

"No, you _don't_!" Her back arched again before her body fell heavily to the bed.

"Josie, come on! Don't be a wuss!" Evelyn yelled angrily.

The window at the end of the room burst open, letting in torrents of winds from the storm that had slowly been building outside. The bodies of the Covenant each grew tenser as they dutifully ignored the sudden chaos in the room and stayed focused on their task.

Josie's eyes shut tightly as her body burrowed itself deeper into the mattress.

"You have to stop resisting, Jos. Stop fighting." Evelyn spoke calmly as she clutched onto the covers by her cousin and leaned in as close as she could without actually touching her. "Just keep breathing. Stop fighting and focus on your breathing."

Her nostrils flared as she no longer trusted herself to breathe through her mouth and instead kept it clamped shut.

"I've got him!" Tyler suddenly yelled over the wind, causing Evelyn's head to lift in his direction at the foot of the bed.

His eyes were still black as night and his shoulders were rigid. His expression showed that he had difficulty holding onto something but soon Caleb lifted his face as well.

"I have him too." He spoke clearly, his voice sending shivers down Evelyn's spine.

"Same here," Pogue joined in.

"Me too," Reid declared.

Gulping down the panic that had been rising within her, Evelyn turned her face back to Josie and dared to hope that it would soon be over.

Lightning pierced the sky and scorched a tree in the lawn outside, causing it to burst into rabid flames before quickly evaporating in the cold rain that had started falling sometime in the past hour.

Then, large hands wrapped around Evelyn's arms and roughly pulled her to her feet and away from the bed. It happened so quickly, she didn't have time to react. The same hands pulled her against a sturdy chest and pressed her there protectively as a lightning bolt incredibly entered the room through the shattered window and struck Josie perfectly in the heart.

It wasn't until the blazing light faded and the scorching heat left the room that Evelyn realized she'd been screaming. Tears flooded her eyes and streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably. When the wind subsided, Evelyn could only hear her own winded breathing and the wild sensation of her beating heart as her eyes remained glued on Josie's unmoving form.

"Oh God," Her voice trembled before she felt her legs collapse beneath her like jelly.

"It's okay," Pogue spoke softly as his arms continued to hold her to himself, keeping her from falling. "It's over now."

Suddenly Josie's body convulsed. Then again it happened but with greater force.

"She's going to," Caleb spoke quickly, though it was Reid and Tyler who were quickly at the head of the bed releasing Josie's hands. Once they were free, Josie used them to lift her upper body, turn, and puke all over the side of the bed.

"Well," Evelyn could hear the disgust in Pogue's voice as it rumbled by her ear. "Now it's over."


	17. Normalcy

**Chapter 17: Normalcy**

"No, Mom, she's okay. Tell Tia Carmen she's doing well and that they're releasing her tomorrow morning. They just decided to keep her overnight as a routine procedure, whatever that means. No, I know how much it's going to cost to fly out, that's why I'm saying…"

Evelyn pulled her ear away from the cell phone when she heard the distinct rustle of Tia Carmen stealing the phone away from her mother.

The phone conversation continued to grow longer than she'd originally intended and it mostly circled around whether or not Josie's mother should fly out from Texas to Ipswich to see her daughter and make sure she was all right herself.

"_What exactly happened?"_ The woman's voice demanded through the phone, cutting through the comforting atmosphere Evelyn had been able to create with her mother.

Steeling her insides, the teenager prepared herself for lying for the umpteenth time in the span of forty-five minutes. Boy, the phone bill was going to be huge, she found herself briefly thinking.

After the whole exorcism of Josie Gellar was over and through with, the physical injuries the girl had obtained while under possession became apparent. Bandaged cuts had reopened and new ones were discovered. Her muscles were badly bruised and beaten while her skin had become feverish. It was as if Chase's possession had been holding the body together and since he was gone, everything just started falling apart.

To get Josie the proper care she needed, Caleb made the decision that she had to be taken to the hospital. Reid had been the first to object to the idea, pointing out the obvious that the hospital staff would be asking a lot of questions they couldn't exactly answer with the truth.

In response, the Covenant leader thought up a proper story.

"Josie and I had decided to get out of the dorm for a bit and explore the woods by the campus. We spent a good few hours out there and started heading back when it started to get dark. But then it started raining and the slopes we had to climb became muddy and we would slip at times but didn't think much of it. Then, I heard Josie slip and her body hit the ground hard. By the time I turned around, she had already slid all the way down the slope. When I went to her we found out she couldn't stand, so I called some friends to help to get her back to the dorm."

It sounded plausible. They both looked beaten enough for it to be true.

Tia Carmen sighed on the other end and Evelyn could practically see the frown marred across the woman's disapproving face. The teenager held her breath in anticipation and had very little time to wait for the scolding she'd been avoiding for the past hour.

"_What were you two thinking?"_

* * *

When Evelyn finally stepped inside her cousin's room after hanging up with their mothers, she found Josie already awake and quietly sitting up in the firm bed. After fully taking her in, Evelyn felt guilty that all of her own injuries had been patched up with simple Band-Aids.

White bandages were wrapped around Josie's arms and head. Under the cloth gown she'd been forced to wear, Evelyn could see more dressings slanting across her left shoulder and around her chest. Even her left hand was clothed in white binding, causing her fingers to appear red and swollen.

Their eyes met as Evelyn slowly closed the door behind her and slid into the chair by the bed.

"That only took forever," Josie remarked. Her dry throat caused her normal tone to be both an octave lower and quite softer. But, it was still Josie. After taking a painful swallow she was able to continue. "What'd they say?"

Evelyn slid down in the seat and cautiously rested her feet on a metallic bar under the bed. "Well, your mom was pissed. She kept demanding to know what happened."

Josie leaned forward as best she could, flinching slightly when she felt the muscles in her back constrict. "What'd you tell her?

"That it was your fault. She's flying over to get the story from you."

Josie's eyes widened significantly, but they quickly narrowed and studied Evelyn's solemn expression. "You're lying." She accused flatly.

"I am." The girl confessed.

Grunting in annoyance, Josie fixed her cousin with the meanest glare she could muster.

"It was an accident." Evelyn informed, she hoped, for the last time. "We went exploring in the woods and you slipped, fell, and here we are."

"How original," Josie rolled her eyes before gently settling back into the bed. Many pained expressions flashed across the girl's face as she slid her body down the firm mattress, causing her cousin to sit bolt right in her seat. Waving off the concern and allowing herself a break in her movement, Josie lifted her clouded eyes to Evelyn in determination to keep on topic. "And the guys?"

"They helped me bring you in. But after an hour of waiting, they decided to leave." Evelyn answered while intently watching her cousin, mentally debating on if and how to help.

"They just left?" Josie interjected in surprise. "What jerks! Did they even know if I was going to be okay? Did they even care? It's their fault this happened to me in the first place!"

"You're talking a lot for an injured patient." Evelyn remarked. She was proven correct as Josie unconsciously reached for her throat and began to search the room for a glass of water.

Without a word, she pulled a water bottle from a plastic bag one of the nurses had provided her. Uncapping the blue bottle, she handed it to her cousin who slowly reached a hand out to take it before greedily taking it over with her lips.

"I said I'd call if anything happened. They did bring us in past four this morning." Evelyn defended. While in the waiting room, she'd seen how exhausted all four boys had been and knew they'd done everything they could for Josie. Sending them home to sleep had been the least she could do at the time.

"That didn't stop you from being here." Josie pointed out once she'd had her fill of the purifying liquid. Her voice sounded a tad better, though still soft.

Biting her bottom lip, Evelyn looked away. "Yes, well, you were out the whole day anyway so I got to take a nap. You should sleep though so you can get out of here soon."

Handing the water bottle back to her cousin, Josie attempted to lie comfortably. "How soon is soon?"

Taking the bottle and unconsciously twisting it in her hands, Evelyn hesitated and averted her eyes to the ceiling. "Well, I told our moms that you'd be out by tomorrow. So…"

Josie weakly groaned in response, her eyelids suddenly feeling very heavy as her head sank deeper into the mattress. She could feel her body slowly shutting down limb by limb. Her muscles would tighten nearly unbearably before ultimately relaxing and dissolving into that peaceful numb of slumber.

It wasn't long before Evelyn could hear the soft breaths escaping Josie's parted lips.

* * *

The sky is always cloudy in the wintry months of January and February. Living his whole life in Ipswich, Massachusetts, anyone would guess he would have been used to the long absence of sunny days. If anything, he was a teenager. Wasn't he supposed to enjoy the opportunity of wallowing in self pity and having the weather to match it?

Whatever.

Tyler disliked the cloudy gloom of winter. Christmas cheer was only a myth as far as he was concerned. Cold weather left you trapped indoors and spending all your time indoors led to having nothing to do. Well, nothing to do but school work. Another setback. This time of the year there was little to no excuse in not getting the school work done.

It was a pain in the ass.

Only, this time, something else shadowed his annoyance for the weather.

That something was currently hobbling her way into the classroom. Late again.

"Miss Gellar, I believe I asked you to not make this tardiness of yours a habit." The professor spoke sternly while crossing her arms and staring the now flushed girl down.

Pressing her lips together in a firm line, Josie ducked her head in acknowledgement to the professor before awkwardly shuffling across the classroom floor to her seat.

Tyler's eyes remained fixated on her even as the professor continued with the lecture.

It had been a month since he and his covenant brothers performed the exorcism. It had also been a month since he last spoke with the girl. He had tried approaching her the day she'd been released from the hospital. But, seeing her bandaged so profusely, trapped in a wheelchair and still obviously weak from what transpired, guilt struck him at the core, restricting him from even stepping onto the sidewalk.

If it weren't for him and the others, she wouldn't have been victim to Chase's sadistic games. He didn't approach her that day or any of the next. After two weeks, the Simms teen believed his chance had been wasted. He couldn't talk to her so instead he distantly watched her. On multiple occasions, Reid had referred to it as stalking, but he was just being an ass.

He could feel the Garwin shift in the seat beside him and against his better judgment Tyler turned his head in the blonde's direction. Reid had fixed his ice blue gaze on him, his eyebrows slightly raised in a sardonic expression. Shaking his head in sign for Reid to shut up, Tyler faced forward and rested his arms on his desk space.

Although they had been friends since childhood, Reid couldn't begin to understand how Tyler felt. To Reid, Josie was just like any other girl in school; either there for his entertainment or just there. For Tyler, she was…different.

"What are you doing?" Reid questioned at the end of the lecture. While Tyler remained seated and unmoving, everyone in the class had stood and began to file out of the room. Seeing the reason for his friend's immobility, Reid rolled his eyes while turning away.

"Laters," he muttered under his breath, not caring if he was heard or not.

Tyler remained unperturbed as his right heel speedily tapped the floor. If she really was different from everyone else, wouldn't that make her worth talking to? Wouldn't she be worth getting to know on a level that _didn't_ include a threat to the lives of his friends and himself?

Unaware of being watched, Josie proceeded to slide her books into her schoolbag and dreaded having to lift the weight onto her shoulder. Although it was true over the course of a month she'd regained most of her strength, her chest remained painfully sore. The doctors had warned against carrying anything strenuous because it would take longer for her body to properly heal. But of course, doctors didn't take daily life outside of the hospital into consideration. How was she supposed to keep up with her classes if she didn't carry with her everything they required?

Slamming his hands to the desk, Tyler pushed himself from his seat and jogged down the steps just in time to meet Josie at the bottom. As soon as he opened his mouth to speak, however, the girl's bag slid from her shoulder and fell to the floor, scattering her textbooks across the thin carpet.

Coming to an abrupt halt, Josie dropped her head back and spoke sourly to the ceiling: "For real?"

It wasn't the opening he was going for but to be honest it was better than nothing. Bending at the knee, Tyler gathered all the books into one pile and reached for the bag to put them in. Only, a smaller hand grasped the black material first.

Looking up, he was surprised to find Josie eye level with him. Though, her head quickly ducked before he could properly see her face. Her hand fisted in the empty bag and dragged it closer to her crouched body.

Feeling shut out, Tyler nervously cleared his throat and softly murmured: "Here."

Taking the offered texts, Josie awkwardly shoved them back into the bag before murmuring back: "Thanks."

Her refusal to meet his gaze even as they slowly stood did not go unnoticed by the Simms teen.

Josie carefully slipped the strap back onto her shoulder and nervously clasped her hands before her. When she finally did lift her head towards him, her eyes only lifted to his chest before quickly flashing towards the door.

A lone band aide still took up space on her forehead right under her hairline. He'd heard she had to get a few stitches and that over the course of the month many had healed rather nicely. This last one had been the deepest.

Shame sobered his radically beating heart so that he was able to stiffly nod his head towards the door. "I'll see you." He spoke gravely before setting off without a single glance back.

Left standing by herself, Josie could only watch him leave with the mixed emotions of embarrassment, frustration, and shame.

* * *

"He's a shy guy. You can't blame him for not being fluent with words." Amanda said after classes later that day.

Safe back in her dorm room, Josie sat on the edge of her bed, her eyes solely focused on her socked feet. After enduring twenty minutes of Amanda pestering her for why she was so glum, Josie felt no better after finally spilling her guts.

The athletic girl stood from her bed and stepped over to her closet which currently had multiple items of clothing spewing from it. Picking up a miniskirt from the floor and testing its durability, Amanda continued her train of thought.

"In any case, he proved he's not a jerk. Anyone else would have left you to fend for yourself."

"Wow, the guy can pick up books. That totally allows him to blow me off." Josie snapped, unimpressed.

"I find it hard to believe that Tyler suddenly walking away from you is the only reason why you are so upset." Amanda spoke flippantly. When Josie didn't respond, she halted her inspection of another mini article and scrutinized her roommate with arched brows.

Josie had averted her gaze to the window. Her lips were pursed in a thoughtful pout and Amanda couldn't help but smirk in amusement. Giddiness always overcame her when she was presented with the chance to tease someone. And, the fact that her target had a defensive temper made the challenge all the more thrilling.

Keeping a hold of the miniskirt, Amanda fully faced her roommate and firmly placed her hands on her hips. She held the studious expression on her face until Josie finally caught on that she was being watched and slowly turned her head in her direction.

"What?" She questioned hesitantly, not liking the smirk that was slowly growing into an outright grin.

The grin fully developed and Amanda was flashing her pearly whites without a care. "You like him."

With a frozen expression, Josie took in the words before glowering and motioning a hand as if to indicate that Amanda needed to catch up. "I thought that was pretty clear to you already."

"It was."

"Stop smiling like an idiot and quit talking in circles. Tell me what your deal is."

"You love him."

Josie opened her mouth, fully intending to deny that declaration but froze when no words passed her lips.

Amanda burst into laughter then before turning back to her closet and tossing the miniskirt on top of a growing pile. Enraged at being laughed at, Josie wet her lips and spit out the only words she could.

"It's not…I mean…it's complicated, all right?"

A red fabric landed on the bed beside her. Fingering the clothing and lifting it in front of her, Josie found herself staring at a flirty red blouse that screamed…whore.

"What's this for?"

"I have a date tonight and to make you feel better, I'm going to let you help me decide what to wear." The girl explained distractedly. Holding a hot pink dress against her body, Amanda inspected herself in the mirror on her closet door.

Discarding the material, Josie rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "Fabulous."

Sighing, she let herself fall back onto her bed and silently dozed off while Amanda continued meaningless chatter about clothes and impressions on dates.

* * *

It had definitely been awhile since she had some quiet time to herself. Having finished her classroom projects and not having any work due until the next week, Evelyn was thoroughly looking forward to the chance of curling up with a book of her own personal choosing and drinking some nice hot chocolate.

Stripping from her school uniform, she eagerly slipped into her dryer warmed pajamas. Dropping her hair from the tight ponytail, she slowly ran her fingers through the dark curls before tying them into a loose braid.

After sliding her feet into a pair of purple warm up socks, she grabbed a packet of hot chocolate powder, a bag of mini marshmallows, and stuffed them into a Christmas mug Alexis had given to her over the holiday break.

The murmur of talk and laughter echoed throughout the halls as Evelyn exited her room and headed for the kitchen on the first floor.

As she entered the stairwell and began her descent, she came upon Amanda on her way up. Dressed in black heels, tights, and a little black dress fashionably concealed by a sheik winter over coat, Amanda was the epitome of stunning. Her gorgeous black hair was slicked back into a simple high ponytail and silver hooped earrings adorned her earlobes.

Pausing in her steps, Evelyn was about to remark on how pretty the girl looked but thought better of it when Amanda looked up, smiled, then continued on her way without a word. She was Josie's roommate, not hers. They didn't exactly talk.

Shrugging off the sudden awkwardness that surrounded her, Evelyn remembered her hot chocolate and continued down the steps, this time with a little hop.

As per usual on most nights, the common room was void of any human activity. The couches remained empty, the wide screen television remained blank, and the pool table remained untouched with the cues still in the rack and the balls tucked away in the pockets. In this place, rich kids didn't need a home away from home. Not when night life was so appealing to them.

Turning her back on these things, Evelyn stepped into the tiny kitchenette area and began to fill her mug with tap water. Once it was filled close to the brim, she shut the tap off and placed the mug into the microwave over the counter. Hopping onto said counter, she began to idly swing her legs while waiting for the minute to pass.

Her solitude was disturbed when the entrance door swung open and a dweeb walked through, talking rather loudly on his cell phone.

"I'm where you told me to be at. I've been here fifteen minutes! Yeah, fine, whatever. Hurry up." The guy slipped the phone into his jacket pocket then turned to survey the room and stopped when he saw her on the counter.

Evelyn's legs banged against the cupboard doors beneath her as her entire body tensed. She felt her eyes bulge when she recognized the dweeb to be Reid. A second later she realized she had stopped breathing and immediately she released her breath to take in new air.

If he had been as surprised as she had, he hid it rather well. Dropping his chin to his chest, his blue eyes shot from side to side as if he was searching for something else to focus his attention on.

"Hi." He voiced in defeat.

"Hey," Evelyn mimicked his lack of enthusiasm before averting her gaze elsewhere and slowly slipping off the counter.

As soon as her feet touched tile the microwave alarm sounded off, seemingly jostling Reid from whatever he'd silently been thinking. Evelyn eyed him curiously, though froze when he looked at her. For once, his eyes were free of smugness and irritation. His expression was completely open and his body leaned forward as if he were about to say more.

But, the door swung open once more, causing both Reid and Evelyn to turn away from each other.

After smoothly turning to the microwave and pulling the warmed mug from the glass plate, Evelyn glanced at the newcomer and felt her skin turn cold.

Standing at the door, as attractive as ever, was Amanda. A satisfied grin broke over her face when her green eyes landed on Reid.

"Finally," she breathed, taking the few steps towards his side and grasping onto his arm. "You ready to go?"

Managing to keep his face passive and focused solely on her, Reid returned her excitement with solemnity. "Yeah."

He didn't say any more and Amanda slightly tilted her head to the side, her gaze now bordering on concern.

Tearing her eyes from the couple, Evelyn focused on the task of adding the chocolate powder to the hot water as if her life depended on it.

At the sound of a metallic spoon clanging against a glass mug, Amanda turned her attention to the other girl in the room for the first time. As Evelyn began to unravel a bag of mini-marshmallows, Amanda's grip on Reid slipped from his bicep to his elbow.

A moment passed in absolute silence before Amanda quickly realized she'd openly been staring. Returning her attention to her date, Amanda smiled warmly and gave him a reassuring squeeze.

"Come on," Pulling on his arm, Amanda threw a smile at Evelyn and called out a cheerful, "Good night!"

Looking up from her finished work, Evelyn was only in time to catch the slow closing of the door. Placing one hand on the counter and a fist on her hip, Evelyn's eyes dropped to the floor as an unexpected feeling of loss overcame her.

"Good night," she murmured softly.

* * *

Josie didn't want to be by herself. Once Amanda left, all that had plagued her thoughts were questions. And, of the many that she couldn't answer herself, she always circled back to the main one: what was Tyler's problem?

Though she really didn't know them and never actually talked with them, both Caleb and Pogue had sought her out specifically to ask if she were okay and if things were back to normal.

She never asked for Tyler to pay attention to her before, but hell, she never asked to be avoided like the plague either. It was on this train of thought that Josie reached over for her cell phone and dialed Evelyn's number. If there was anyone who could give her sensible advise, it was the sane older cousin.

"Amanda already blew me off saying that it was completely normal. But she doesn't know what you and I know." Josie proceeded to rant as she clumsily paced from one end of the room to the other. "I mean, I went through hell with that creep in my head. You'd think he'd show a bit more concern."

Her brown eyes wondered over to her cousin when she didn't receive any kind of comment in return. Evelyn sat slumped in the wooden chair by Josie's cluttered desk. Her eyes were distant and dull, alerting Josie to the annoying possibility that she would have to repeat herself.

"What do you think?" She questioned hotly.

"I think you should sit down before you hurt yourself." Evelyn responded without so much as batting an eyelash.

With a huff, Josie did as was suggested though cringed when the shock of sitting so abruptly coursed through her body. Three seconds passed in silence before Josie lifted her eyes expectantly.

"Well?"

Evelyn remained slouched in the chair. No part of her moved an inch. Josie began to wonder if something were wrong with her.

Releasing a long sigh, Evelyn turned her head away and rested an elbow on the edge of the desk.

"If he wants to talk to you, he'll talk to you."

Frustrated, Josie slapped her hands on her knees and pushed herself back to her feet.

"You've said that before!"

"It's just as true now as it was then." Evelyn spoke firmly, lifting her eyes to Josie who stopped long enough to listen. "The question you need to be asking is if you're willing to stand up for yourself and confront the guy. You've obviously waited long enough for him to come to you, so now are you willing to go to him and straighten things out?"

Hearing the direct words struck uncertainty in Josie which she surely had had enough of.

"What would I say to him?" Her voice quivered towards the end and she clamped her mouth shut, hoping Evelyn hadn't noticed.

Sighing, Evelyn turned away again and rested her head in her upturned palm.

"I don't know," she admitted in defeat.

Josie's back snapped straight and her eyes averted themselves elsewhere. Evelyn was supposed to provide solutions to her problems, not stir up more befuddling questions.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Josie eyed her cousin and bluntly asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Dropping her hand to her lap, Evelyn turned her head to Josie before slowly shaking it and shutting her eyes. "Nothing. I need to go to bed; I'm exhausted." Pushing herself to her feet Evelyn hesitated in her stride to the door and turned back to ask if that was all the help Josie needed.

Though she would have loved to point out that Evelyn hadn't helped her at all, Josie knew she wasn't going to get anything else out of her.

"Yeah, I'm good." She grumbled while tightening her grip on her arms and turning her back on the door. "W-wait."

Evelyn stopped once more, her hand on the doorknob, and looked over her shoulder.

"I need you to do me a favor."

* * *

A/N: Sorry it's taken so long for an update. There's just so much to cover for the end and I feel I've kept you waiting long enough, so I ended up splitting what I've written into two chapters. TwistedRaver, thank you for your review on the last chapter, I'm glad I was able to make you laugh. And thank you GoddessKisses66 and suicidal66 from youtube for pushing me to get this out. I hope this was worth the wait. :)


	18. A New Fate

**A/N:** There's no easy introduction for updating a story that's been neglected for over a year now. Today-or yesterday- I had an epiphany that the reason the last chapter is so difficult to write is because it isn't the last chapter. There's still a bit of story to be told and not everything can be wrapped up in a pretty bow. So, while this may not be the last chapter everyone has been waiting for - I truly am sorry for the long wait - it will hopefully satisfy everyone til Christmas.

Thank you to all who have reviewed, favorited, added this story to the alerts list, and sent me personal messages egging me on to continue. I dedicate this to you.

* * *

**Chapter 18: A New Fate**

She pulled on her dark jeans and only winced slightly as the fabric brushed along a sore spot on her lower back.

'I'm getting better.' She thought to herself. To keep from dropping into a funk, she repeated the thought over and over.

She slipped a thin sweater over her head, ignoring the way her arms trembled from the strain on her aching shoulder blades.

Her socks and shoes were the difficult part. With her hands on her hips, she stared down the seemingly innocent objects and grit her teeth together. She knew she could do this without help. She just had to _do it_.

A few hisses and bit out curses later, Josie stood before the mirror by the door and studied herself. A bit of make-up adorned her features, though that was completely due to Amanda's insistence after she'd caught wind of what was going on. Her dark hair curled at her shoulders; again, because of her roommate. The clothes she wore were the only things Josie had been allowed to choose for herself. Upon self inspection, she didn't look bad, she just looked…different.

She caught her own gaze and held it. The glint in her copper browns had dimmed significantly. There was a somber maturity around the pupils that she couldn't remember ever being there.

The idea of simply being paranoid had crossed her mind, but after searching inside herself, she could find no jittery nervousness she'd felt from earlier that day. Somewhere along the line, she'd resigned herself to the fact that this was going to happen, with or without the assurance of a desired response.

A knock at the door slightly pulled her from her thoughts.

"Jo-sie, are you rea-dy?" Evelyn's sing-song voice carried from the other side and Josie could imagine the girl absentmindedly swaying as she asked that question.

Grabbing her jacket from the chair and the keys from her desk, Josie opened the door and stepped out. Evelyn stepped back and gave a low whistle.

"You sure know how to make a girl feel underdressed."

After locking the door, Josie turned and flashed her pearly whites.

"Damn straight."

Rolling her eyes, Evelyn held out her arm. Wordlessly, Josie linked her own arm through her cousin's and let Evelyn lead the way down the hall.

"Come on. Kate and Sarah are already waiting in the parking lot."

* * *

The car ride had been warm and comfortable. Sarah didn't quite have the best taste in music, in Josie's opinion, but the music wasn't anything that was completely foreign to her. She caught Evelyn mouthing a few lines to one or two songs and she let her know it by giving her a teasing smirk. Her cousin mimicked the smirk before shaking her head and looking out the window; her head then only slightly bobbing with the beat.

When they pulled into the parking lot at Niki's, Josie felt her skin harden like a shell while her insides clenched tightly. She was slow as she unfastened her seatbelt and stepped out of the small car which made it easier for Evelyn to walk behind the vehicle and join her side.

Josie glanced at her, half expecting some form of a reassuring smile, but her cousin's gaze was trained on the small bar lit by yellow and blue florescent lights.

Maybe this night would be a big step for both of them. Tilting her head to the side, Josie wasn't sure just how yet.

Kate joined Sarah's side and as the four walked towards the crowded building, she pointed out Pogue's motorcycle just outside the entrance. A giddy smile spread across her face. Sarah teased her for it before both erupted in a fit of excited giggles.

As soon as they entered the carefree atmosphere, Josie felt her hopes rise and nudged her cousin playfully to spread the feeling. Evelyn grinned in response before both their attentions were directed to Kate as she launched herself into the welcoming arms of Pogue Perry.

At the sound of the girls' arrival, Caleb looked up from the quarter pound burger he'd been in the midst of devouring and smiled cutely at Sarah who leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Hey, Josie. Evelyn," Pogue greeted as he tucked Kate under his arm and held her close.

Still in the process of chewing his last bite, Caleb simply nodded to the girls in greeting before Sarah reached over to wipe a bit of mayonnaise from his lips. The corners of Evelyn's mouth lifted in turn while Josie waved mutely. Her eyes discreetly scanned the people around them before turning expectantly towards Evelyn.

Without missing a beat, Pogue informed offhandedly: "Tyler's getting us a table. You girls up for some pool?" He looked down at Kate who scrunched her face in distaste of the idea.

"I'm terrible at pool, you know that!" She accused her boyfriend and began to pull away from him.

However, Pogue leaned into her and spoke teasingly: "I'll help you."

Josie rolled her eyes at the _too cute_ scene.

"Sarah, would you play too?" Kate pleaded while looking over her boyfriend's shoulder.

Sarah looked Caleb over thoughtfully before smiling and playfully nudging his shoulder with her own. She then turned to her roommate in good humor. "No, I think I'll just get something to eat."

"Josie will play." Evelyn spoke up, startling said girl.

"I will?" Josie questioned through clenched teeth.

"Yup. I'll even be your personal cheerleader."

"It's settled then." Pogue declared before lifting a bottle of root beer to his lips and taking a long swig. He turned to exchange a few words with Caleb. Josie took the opportunity to glower at Evelyn.

"What'd you do that for?"

"You're here to get involved, Jos. So get involved."

"This isn't –"

A voice calling out for Pogue over the crowd caused Josie's voice to drastically die down. Her face fell into a mask of silence as her eyes shot to a place over Evelyn's shoulder.

Fearing she may have stopped breathing, Evelyn reached forward and poked Josie in the stomach. A slap to the intruding finger was an instantaneous reaction, though it didn't remove Josie's attention from Tyler.

He stood tall over the crowd. A cue was casually held in both hands before him, allowing him to lean his upper body against it. When his eyes landed on Josie, his shoulders visibly tensed. His lips parted slightly as if he were whispering something to himself.

"Let's get this started." Pogue announced before ushering Kate and Josie towards Tyler and the pool table.

"What's going on?" Tyler questioned when the group came towards him.

"Team game, Ty. Two on two." Pogue answered as he pulled up a couple of bar stools for the girls to sit on.

Without thinking, Tyler's eyes flashed to Josie. Before she could return his gaze, he caught himself, cleared his throat and focused on setting up the table.

After jumping onto one of the stools, Evelyn discreetly watched as her cousin approached Tyler on the other side of the pool table. As Evelyn slid her jacket down her back, Kate approached her with her own jacket in hand.

"Would you mind holding onto it for me?" She questioned with a smile.

"She's not your servant, babe." Pogue teased as he stepped behind Kate, reaching for the cue Tyler handed out for him to take.

Rolling her eyes, Kate shoved her boyfriend so that he stumbled against the pool table.

Snorting at the interaction, Evelyn finished removing her arms from her jacket and reached for Kate's leather one. "No problem."

"Have you played before?" Tyler spoke low as he gathered all the balls into the triangular rack.

"Not since my brother taught me in middle school." Josie admitted, her eyes watching every grab Tyler's hands made across the table. "He might have purposefully taught me wrong though."

"You have a brother?" The surprise was clear in the boy's voice. Josie nearly smiled.

"All right you love birds, let's get this game started." Pogue declared. He received dry glares in response.

* * *

The tip of the cue nearly brushed the smooth, cool surface of the white ball before slowly retreating under the guidance of two small pale hands. A full pink bottom lip was bit into as a pair of copper brown eyes narrowed.

This last shot could very well be the last chance for her and Tyler to win the game; Josie did _not_ want to screw it up.

Stepping beside his friend, Pogue leaned over and whispered, "Why not try helping her? Guide her a bit before she costs you a game."

Clenching his jaw, Tyler chose instead to ignore Pogue's words. The guy said that as if Tyler hadn't tried doing that plenty of times already throughout the game. Each time, Josie's body had tensed against his and her shots turned out much worse than if he hadn't tried anything at all. This shot was going to be all hers as far as Tyler was concerned.

After releasing a slow breath, Josie shot the cue ball into the eight-ball so that it ricochet off the furthest rim and sailed straight into the right corner pocket.

Both Josie and Evelyn threw a fist in the air with a cheer.

"That was good, right? I was supposed to do that?" Josie turned expectantly towards Tyler while her hand pointed at the pocket she'd just shot the eight-ball into. Smiling broadly, Tyler nodded his head. Josie whooped loudly before pointing a finger at Pogue. "Take that sucka!"

"Well I see she's a good sport." Pogue remarked right before Kate slipped into his arms for a consolatory hug.

"We did good, babe." She assured before leaning up for a quick kiss.

"So, losers buy us burgers?" Tyler suggested after giving Josie a high five.

"Yeah, right, baby boy. You can pay for your date with your own money."

Josie's eyes widened significantly and immediately looked to Evelyn for help.

It took only a heartbeat for her to remark teasingly: "And you said Josie was a good sport. Buy the pair some burgers; it's not like it's going to hurt your pocket change."

Kate laughed at Pogue's expression as he caved into the argument. "We'll be back," He sighed before pulling Kate along with him towards the crowded bar.

While taking a swig from her bottle of root beer, Evelyn glanced around for Caleb and Sarah who had mysteriously disappeared sometime during the game.

"Did the other two take off?" Josie asked out loud, her thoughts along the same line.

"Looks like it." Tyler sighed before turning his eyes towards Josie at the same moment she looked up at him.

For a moment, neither blinked nor breathed. A second for anyone else surrounding them could have been minutes for the pair. With a slight jolt, both turned away from the other and breathed in deeply.

Biting her bottom lip, Evelyn studied the two before taking another swig and slipping down off of her stool. "I'll be right back."

"Sure," both teens said in unison.

Evelyn had to fight back a snort. They could have at least _pretended _to care about where she was going and why. As she passed, she placed a gentle hand on Josie's arm in encouragement anyway.

"Uh, hey," Tyler called out suddenly.

But Evelyn stepped right onto another foot and rammed the side of her face into a cold, jacketed chest.

"Watch it –"

"Whoops, sorry –"

Evelyn's breath caught in her throat as she stared up into the cobalt eyes of Reid Garwin. Strands of his pale blond hair fell across his forehead, brushing the dark lashes of his eyes and cascading over his ears. Cold air from outside still clung to his body, masking only slightly the smell of cologne and soap.

"Hey man, you finally made it. We've been here almost an hour already." Tyler's voice seemed distant even though he was just on the other side of the pool table.

Reid's eyes dropped down Evelyn's body as he replied to his friend. "I was busy." His gaze roamed back up to Evelyn's face and was just in time to catch her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Excuse me," She murmured before sidestepping around him, grabbing her jacket and heading for the entrance door.

Reid didn't even try to act discreet as he watched her body disappear in the throng of people.

Sighing, Josie leaned against the pool table and crossed her arms, wincing only slightly at the pull of a bruised muscle.

"Reid," She called out in her clearest authoritative voice. The boy turned to her, his face void of any expression, save for a raised brow. "Break her heart, I break your face."

Both eyebrows lowered over his eyes, his mask easing into one of confusion as he looked between the girl and his best friend.

* * *

Once she was outside with the bright moon overhead and her own breath surrounding her in moist puffs, she was able think clearly. She was able to see that her urgency to get away from Reid had led her outside and alone with nothing to do.

Sighing in admittance that her actions had been less than smart, Evelyn glanced at the elder man sitting in a folding chair by the door. The skin around his mouth stretched as he flashed her a nearly toothless grin. Unconsciously pressing her lips together, Evelyn smiled in turn before stepping off of the wooden steps and onto the gravel of the parking lot.

What other option did she have but to stand by Sarah's car and cool off for awhile?

* * *

Pogue broke through the crowd with two baskets filled with juicy quarter-pound burgers and golden fries that spilled over the rims.

"Winners' prizes, as promised," He declared whilst reaching around Reid to hand Tyler one of the baskets.

"What's the deal, man? No drinks?" Tyler questioned while lifting a golden fry to his lips and biting into the greasy product.

Pogue handed Josie the second basket then blatantly turned his back on Tyler, solely focusing on her.

"You should seriously consider telling your date to step his game up a notch." He spoke lowly.

Containing the urge to giggle nervously, Josie instead smiled and decided to humor the boy.

"How do you mean?"

Risking a backwards glance over his shoulder, Pogue leaned forward conspiratorially.

"For starters, he didn't pick you up, then he refused to buy you dinner, and now he's totally missing the opportunity to buy you a drink. Coming from a guy who has a track record of mediocre dates; I'm starting to feel sorry for you."

An eyebrow shot up as Josie wordlessly studied the glinting mirth in Pogue's eyes. Without breaking eye contact, she handed the boy back the hamburger basket and leaned over to address Tyler behind him.

"Come with me to get something to drink." She offered pointedly before glancing back up at Pogue with an expression that conveyed her acceptance of his challenge.

* * *

"There you are."

Evelyn snapped her head up and stared in surprise at the person walking towards her. She knew her from several of her classes. Mainly, though, she knew her as the on-again-off-again girlfriend of Aaron Abbott.

Kira, with her tumble of tight gold curls and mean green eyes stopped at the end of Sarah's car and cocked her head to the side.

Leaning away from the car door, Evelyn uncrossed her arms and stood unassumingly.

"We've been looking everywhere for you! Well, it's more _I've_ been looking for you than _we_-he can't be bothered to show much interest in anyone other than himself, let alone in anyone like _you_." She must have been drunk; she'd mumbled it all off on one breath then snorted out a few giggles afterwards.

When Evelyn didn't respond but simply stared, Kira stopped giggling and stepped back towards the bar.

"Aren't you going to come?"

"Where?"

"Back inside to see him."

"See who?"

"Oh, like you don't know. You two have only been tiptoeing around each other all year!"

She took notice of the wild glint in the girl's eyes and the underlying accusation in her claim. Her heart beat quickened.

"I'm fine where I am, thanks."

She'd never spoken with Kira before-there was never a need for interaction between them. The fact that a girl of her catty reputation sought Evelyn out personally could not lead to any good outcomes.

"Then I'll just bring him to you." Her tone, dead serious, sent shivers down Evelyn's spine. Before she could question her, Kira had already turned in retreat to the building.

* * *

Tyler leaned over the wooden bar and signaled for two cokes.

Slipping between the crowd, Josie joined his side and regarded him with what she hoped was aloofness.

"So I guess we're pretending the silent treatment never happened."

When the coke bottles were brought, Tyler wordlessly handed her a drink. He stalled as he attempted to come up with some form of an answer. He could try to play the ignorant card, but he'd not only heard but also bared witness to how fast that ploy could end in a slap and even a kick to the groin. He was having too nice of an evening to risk having either of those happen at the moment.

Josie continued to speak where he was silent.

"I mean, if any other girl had gone through what I did, you'd be dealing with one pissed off chick."

Confused at the direction the conversation was headed, Tyler repositioned himself so he could stare at his companion fully.

"You're not upset?"

"I'm more confused. Everything you did, I mean…" She hesitated and rolled her tongue around in her mouth. She'd promised herself she would not make this complicated. Only chicks in girl flicks did that. Or is the correct term: 'girls in chick flicks'? "I'm just going to save myself more headaches and outright ask-are you interested? Were you ever interested?"

His wide-eyed stare and slightly ajar mouth was less than encouraging. But she kept her calm façade in place, expertly hiding the extreme stress her nerves were currently undergoing. He clamped his mouth shut as if suddenly realizing it was open in the first place, and swallowed thickly.

Feeling utterly ridiculous, Josie turned her head away and was close to telling him to forget about it. They could just go back to playing pool or even foosball.

There was a soft tap on her shoulder. What surprised her as she turned were the two fingers slowly sliding down the fabric of the sweater that clothed her arm. The light touch sent electric sensations down her spine and around her stomach. At first she watched the pale hand as it retracted from her elbow, then she looked up into Tyler's eyes.

His nervousness was visible as he regarded her wordlessly.

She wasn't a mind reader though and she let him know as much by raising her eyebrows high in expectance.

He continued to search her eyes in silence. Then, without a warning, he rushed forward and stopped a centimeter before his lips could claim hers.

She watched as a speck of fear flickered in his eyes and pulled away slightly. Her lips slowly spread into a smile. "Is this your answer?"

Dropping his chin to his chest, Tyler forced out a low chuckle and leaned back. "It was a lot smoother in my head."

Managing to control the broadness of her smile; which only wanted to grow bigger after the confession; Josie decided to regain his attention and leaned in closer. "We can work on that."

Lifting his head, Tyler found himself only centimeters from kissing her again. Reading the invitation in her eyes, his gaze fell to her lips and slowly he closed the gap between them. It was slow and gentle; a result from both of their insecurities. But soon, Tyler's hands were on Josie's waist and her hands were sliding up his arms pulling him closer. Heat rose as suddenly their stomachs met and their legs brushed each other.

"Hey!" A large calloused hand slammed down on the bar top, startling the young couple. "This is a bar not a bedroom. Take it somewhere else!"

Still wrapped in each other's arms, Josie turned her head into Tyler's chest in an effort to hide her laughter.

With rosy cheeks and a shameless grin, Tyler nodded to the bartender. "Right. Sorry, Niki." Looking down at the girl pressed against him, he was not sorry in the least. "Up for another round of pool?"

Josie smiled, her eyes sparkling in delight.

"Hell yes."

* * *

She should walk away. Maybe hide in the tree line that wasn't too far away.

But should she? That would only show fear and after witnessing a possession and exorcism of someone she loved, confrontation should not be at the top of her list to be scared of.

Her hands trembled. She clamped them into fists and stuffed them in her jacket pockets.

The itch to run tightened her gut. She paced alongside Sarah's car to ease the tension.

The crunching of gravel reached her ears. She gathered her frayed wits and turned to face the approachers.

She could feel the blood rush to her head; her breath stilled.

"Kira, what the fuck is this?" Kira's companion demanded short temperedly.

Lips quirked in a smirk, it was obvious to see she reveled in the hurricane of emotions that stormed across Evelyn's face.

Averting her gaze, Evelyn struggled to breathe quietly and keep her emotions in check.

"Call it just desserts. You two deserve each other." The smugness emanating from her voice pushed Evelyn to face her with her head held high. She had no idea what kind of game Kira was playing, but she had no interest in taking part.

Aaron stared at Kira as if she were his annoying younger sister acting out against him. "You pulled me out here for this crap?"

Evelyn moved to head back toward the bar, her glare daring Kira to try and stop her. True to reputation, however, Kira accepted the challenge, snatched Evelyn's arm, and held her back.

"Don't be shy now, Eavie-"

"What the fuck have I ever done to you?" Evelyn snapped before shoving Kira away from her.

Without responding, Kira made a grab for Evelyn's hair, entangling her fingers deep in her tresses, and yanked her head back so that Evelyn's back slammed into her chest. Evelyn grabbed at Kira's arms and stomped at her feet but Kira laughed, easily avoiding her jabs. When she felt the cold air against her neck and Kira's lips at her exposed ear, Evelyn froze.

"I'm not doing this because of you." She whispered before tightening her grip on Evelyn's hair. "Look at him."

Tears sprang to Evelyn's eyes, but she clenched her teeth and did as told.

Aaron stood rigid. His green eyes, with help of the moonlight, pierced through the night, watching their movements intensely.

"I'm doing this for him. He's wanted you for so long."

"You bitch." The only way to survive was to attack. Swinging her elbow back, Evelyn heard a satisfying crack and yelp. The grip on her hair loosened enough that when she reached over her head, she was able to easily remove Kira's hand.

She ran.

But a set of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her down hard into the ground. She had little time to catch her breath before she was roughly rolled over onto her back. Aaron straddled her waist and leaned forward to crush her wrists with his hands. Evelyn kicked as hard as she could and nearly screamed when she felt another set of hands clasp each leg tightly and pin them under another's body weight.

"Get off of me!" She cried, jerking her head up in attempt at hitting him in the face.

"Shh now, Cortez," Aaron whispered, bringing Evelyn to look him straight in the eye.

A whimper caught in her throat when she saw his eyes that earlier had been glinting green in the moonlight were now completely black.

"You will tell the Sons of Ipswich that there is a new sheriff in town." He leaned down to bury his face in her neck and breathed deeply. "And I am _very_ displeased with their behavior."

Then suddenly his body was blown away from her and he flew back to crash into the windshield of another parked vehicle. Kira's weight left Evelyn's body much the same way.

Quickly crawling backwards, Evelyn yelped in surprise when she collided with a standing pair of legs. Spinning away, she somehow found a way back onto her feet, but when she saw it was Reid behind her, relief coursed through her so intensely her legs went numb and she fell ungracefully back down.

He crouched beside her, his bare fingers gently cradling her chin to lift her face towards his. "Are you all right? Hey, are you okay?"

Tears rolled freely down her cheeks as she stared into his cobalt eyes. It took only a second to see the exertion in his face and deduce that he had saved her. She pulled on his shoulders and buried her face in his jacket, showing her gratitude through an embrace.

It wasn't until she felt his hands spreading on her back that she truly remembered who she was hugging.

"Damn it, Garwin," Her trembling voice was muffled by the cold fabric of his jacket before she turned her face to whisper against his chest. "Where the hell were you three minutes ago?"

Reid let his knees fall to the ground and properly wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her head and holding her close.

She heard others running towards them. One ran past to check on Aaron and Kira. Then Pogue's voice called out for someone to call a doctor.


	19. Til The End

A/N: Yes, this is the end. Raise your hand if you thought we were EVER going to get here! ...Don't worry, I didn't put my hand up either. But it's here! We've reached it! Thank you to all you loyal readers and reviewers-both signed in and annonymous- who gave this story a chance and decided to slug it out 'til the end. This chapter is dedicated to all of you; so I sincerely hope you all like it!

* * *

**Chapter 19: 'Til the End**

Caleb walked away from the police officer who'd interviewed him. The man was young, new to the area and new to the force. Therefore lying, though it came naturally, to cover for Reid's involvement had been easy. Now, the reason behind why he'd had to cover for him in the first place had yet to be reached.

Caleb headed over to Sarah's car where his friends, having already gone through their own lines of questioning, waited for him. Sarah and Josie stood together by the driver's door, both their attentions on the girl sitting sideways in the driver's seat. His boys stood by the hood of the car, their attentions solely on him as he approached. He nodded to them then moved to stand beside his girlfriend to peer into the open car door.

Evelyn looked up at his presence. Her face, though shrouded by the shadows of the interior of the car, was cleaned up from when he'd first come outside and saw her. Her earlier fear and confusion had dissolved into something a bit more controlled, a bit more steadied. Still, he had to ask; his voice gentle.

"How are you doing?"

Drawing herself up, Evelyn let out a shaky breath. "I'm not dead."

Josie snorted and crossed her arms. Sarah smiled at the effort given. Caleb's lips tugged at the corners as he nodded his acknowledgement.

"That's always a good thing. Let's try staying that way."

Evelyn scoffed good-naturedly. "Yeah, I'll give that my best."'

The light exchange dropped as Kate joined the group and pulled Pogue over closer to where Caleb stood.

"They're saying that both Aaron and Kira have temporary amnesia. They can't remember anything after coming to Niki's-what they did or who they talked to."

"Lucky break there." Pogue commented with a glance first at Caleb then Reid.

"So then they were possessed-it backs up Reid's story." Tyler said.

Reid turned sharply to his friend. "You didn't believe me before?"

"He's just saying it backs it up," Josie defended quickly. "Calm down."

"Reid," Caleb's voice caused everyone to pause. "Who did this?"

Shrugging widely, Reid shook his head and glanced momentarily in Evelyn's direction. "I don't know man. Whoever it was just passed a message through Evelyn saying there's a new 'Sheriff' in town and that he's 'displeased' or whatever. Judging by all this, I'd say we're dealing with a warlock, and a fucking powerful one to possess two people at once. And this is assuming he's alive."

"Then our first priority is finding out who's behind all of this and to proceed cautiously. This guy is obviously not messing around."

"But how do we do that?" Pogue asked quietly. "Look him up, I mean. We don't even know where to start."

"We could look up what it takes to do a possession, that's something." Tyler offered.

"It's better than nothing. We'll head back and do some research, see if we can find anything. Reid, you have a ride?"

Caleb turned to Reid who made a face but otherwise replied: "I'll be fine."

Caleb turned to Sarah, his eyes going soft. "Will you be alright with taking the girls back to the school?"

She smiled and rested her hands on either side of his arms. "We'll be fine. _You_ be careful. I don't want to get any calls about my having to come to your rescue."

A smile broke on Caleb's face before he leaned down and gave her a quick kiss.

Following suit, Kate leaned up to give Pogue a peck on the cheek before sending him off towards Tyler's SUV. Tyler caught Josie's gaze but she gave a slight shake of her head at the invitation she saw there, before inclining it towards the car she leaned against. Those four may have been fine with making others feel uncomfortable, but she wasn't. Plus, if she went and got too close to Tyler, Josie wasn't certain she'd be able to restrain herself to just a simple peck goodbye. Not if their display in the bar earlier was anything to go by. Judging by the amusement reflected in his eyes, Tyler not only understood but felt the same.

As soon as the couples separated and the guys were on their way, Evelyn stepped out of the car and went for the backseat.

"Excuse me, Miss!"

All eight looked up at the call, but it was Evelyn's face that fell when they realized it was the Chief of Police. And since she had been the one he interviewed, Evelyn knew he was calling out to her.

"We have a couple of more questions and will be needing you to follow us back to the station."

Kate and Josie made noises of aggravation and disbelief. It had already been a long night; did the cops seriously need to make it longer?

Caleb looked back at the girls; feeling rather inconvenienced himself. He would prefer knowing they were on their way back to somewhere familiar, somewhere safe, instead of on that lonely stretch of road back to school at whatever ungodly hour the authorities decided to release them.

Thinking along the same lines as Caleb, Evelyn ran a hand back through her dark tresses and called back: "Alright, let me just…figure out my ride situation…" She looked to Sarah, understanding lacing her voice. "You guys don't have to come with me; I could just ride in their car and ask them to take me back to the school."

Josie would hear none of it.

"Dude, Evelyn, you were just attacked. Now you're going to go off alone with some stranger?"

"He's the Chief of Police."

"He could be the Chief of Saints; I still wouldn't let you go."

"You wouldn't _let me_?" Skepticism sharpened her tone.

"Quit your yammering I'll take her." Reid declared, surprising everyone.

"You will?" Kate questioned with a quirked brow.

"Yes," Reid replied, his tone conveying he didn't much care for her disbelief. And, anticipating Josie's objection, he next addressed her. "She's going to stay back now without you whether you like it or not. Would you rather her under their protection or mine?"

Jutting her chin out stubbornly, Josie glanced quickly from Reid to the Police Chief, who seemed to be growing impatient, then finally to Evelyn. A wordless conversation passed between them before Evelyn stepped away from the car and shut the door she had just opened.

"I'll be fine."

"You better call me when you get to that station, when they're done interviewing you, and when you get back to the school. Three calls, Eavie, not two and not one."

"Fine." Evelyn walked over to Reid and he led her to his own car on the other side of the parking lot.

Josie watched their retreating forms for as long as she could before Sarah started the car and she had to duck down inside.

As Reid and Evelyn passed the paramedics and the EMT's, Evelyn caught sight of Aaron sitting up on a stretcher, a few deep gashes stretched along the right side of his face. The blotchy red contrasting with the paleness of his skin, gave Aaron an almost tiger-esque kind of look. In that short moment as she passed, Aaron looked up from the hands resting on his lap. Evelyn's entire body tensed and she unconsciously leaned away, her feet nearly tripping over themselves. Aaron narrowed his eyes, as if trying to recall who she was, trying to place where he had seen her.

She quickly diverted her gaze and continued walking beside Reid in silence.

The entire drive over to the station, that short glance played over and over in her mind.

* * *

"It's about time; we've only been here for three hours!"

Too exhausted to even roll her eyes in response, Evelyn slipped into her jacket and pushed straight through the station doors into the cold air of the early morning.

"It's just after four, Reid, I'm sure you've stayed out this late before." She was very careful not to let her words run together as they were wont to do when she was worn-out.

"But I pass the time doing things, not just sitting around and waiting-which I'm willing to bet was _way_ more grueling than taking the Chief's questioning."

A noncommittal sound emitted from the back of Evelyn's throat as she rounded Reid's parked black mustang. Reid paused at the driver's side, just before unlocking the doors, and peered at her curiously.

"What'd he ask you anyway?"

Tossing the hair out of her eyes, Evelyn looked across the hood of the vehicle at him. Her eyes were the greatest in giving her exhaustion away, he noticed.

"A lot of things; mostly centered on why I was in the parking lot to begin with." She paused, then bit her bottom lip and slightly shook her head. Whatever it was, she was debating whether or not to bring it up.

"Reid," She said slowly-and oh man did she have to ignore the thrill of saying his name so personally and to his face. "Aaron remembers something."

He ignored the thrill of hearing his name said from her lips and rested his hands on the sleek hood. "What are you talking about?"

She opened her mouth, hesitated, then pushed forward.

"He wasn't possessed the whole time. Kira had to convince him to come out to the parking lot and when he did he was just as surprised at Kira's behavior as I was. So then something must have happened to him some time while I was struggling with Kira, right?" She looked up at Reid for verification but he only stared intently back. "And the look on Aaron's face when we were passing the ambulance, at first I assumed he just didn't recognize who I was; but there's the possibility he was looking at me as if trying to place me in a dream he just had…you know?"

"What's your point? He remembers everything but is repressing it all?"

"No, I think…I think he remembers everything but that it all happened so quickly, he's confused by it."

"So you want to go talk to him?" He asked shortly, the slight raise in his voice causing Evelyn to recoil in stunned silence.

They regarded each other for a few moments, both quietly surprised by his short temper and the length she was able to hold his gaze.

"I never said that." She voiced finally.

Reid allowed her that, but if it hadn't been her reason for bringing Aaron up…

"You want me and the guys to look into it."

She licked her lips then quietly said yes.

"You don't want anything to do with this, do you?"

Again she hesitated. She turned her head away to face the road leading back to the school.

"I didn't have you pegged as a coward, Cortez."

"'Course you have, how could you not?" Evelyn snapped, fiercely turning back to him.

"You're scared, sure. And I've seen you scared over these past few months, but I've also seen you do something with that fear. You achieve something more, do anything the hell you want, but you don't run away. And that's damn near honorable."

"I don't need a pep talk."

"Apparently you do."

"Well I don't need one from you."

Slamming a hand on the roof, Reid pushed away from the vehicle and began to circle around to her side. Evelyn's body immediately faced his, her feet taking even steps backwards to keep a safe distance between them.

"If not from me, then from who, Evelyn? Because as far as I can tell you, everyone is going to respect your wishes and keep you out of things from here on out. They'll keep you in the dark on what's going and you'll fall into a false sense of security and you'll be wide open for attack. I'm here telling you right now, I'm not going to let that happen. Because tonight wasn't just about sending a message to us. That warlock, or whoever it was, could have attacked anyone in that parking lot. But no. They waited around for _you_. Sought _you_ out when you were alone, toyed with your emotions, and _then_ attacked. Why would they go through all that trouble if they weren't the least bit interested in you, huh?"

Somehow she'd ended up with her back to the tail end of the car, Reid hovering just before her, his body close, but not touching.

"Including me isn't going to help you at all." She breathed unevenly.

His eyes flashed back and forth between hers as he responded; "That's debatable."

She wanted to argue. She wanted to push him away and tell him to leave her the hell alone. The fear that had entered her life more than those last few months ago hadn't sprouted with the arrival of the supernatural. It had been planted the moment she'd laid eyes on this mischievous, good-looking punk. It flourished with his bad boy personality, careless laugh, and misleadingly soft voice. But the fear hadn't entangled itself within her being so tightly that she could feel the thrum of her heart throughout her entire nervous system, even in her bones; the lack of oxygen in her lungs; and rush of blood circulation in her brain; not until those sparkling eyes had started to see her, truly regard her with a softness she'd never before seen; a warmness she'd never known.

She couldn't believe the ferocity with which the sudden urge to kiss him slammed her. A startled breath left her in a soft whoosh and she had to fight to keep her hands obediently at her sides.

"Why?" The word escaped her. She had no idea what she was really asking, but left the question hanging in the air nonetheless.

His lips parted. She felt the air shift between them as he pulled away only slightly.

Her cell phone in the back pocket of her jeans vibrated loudly from where it was pressed between her and the car. Despite her best efforts, her entire body had jolted upright in surprise. Eagerly taking the distraction, Evelyn fished the vibrating device from her pocket and didn't know whether to laugh or groan when she saw Josie's name flashing across the screen.

Her thumb brushed over the call button but Reid's hand overtook hers, easily stealing the device before she could answer the call.

Without thinking, she reached forward to get it back. "What are you-"

"Why, what?" Reid ignored her protests and waited for a response.

"N-nothing, just…would you give me my phone?"

He held the blinking cell phone just out of her reach; then, a ring of fire broke out from his irises, encasing his eyes in a glossy shade of black. He held his hands out at his sides in a shrug; her cell slowly floating higher and higher into the air.

Evelyn's jaw dropped and automatically she hit his arm hard. "Stop that!" The warning in her voice held more than just irritation over his antics.

When he made no move to oblige her, a growl tore through her throat and she turned away from him to walk the length of the car.

"Fine, you want to know what I was asking when I said why?" It didn't matter that she herself hadn't known, the words were tumbling from her faster than she could analyze them. With more than enough breathing space between them now, she turned to address him. "Why should I get involved? Why should _I_ concern myself with your troubles and those of your friends when it has _nothing_ to do with me and I stand a great chance of getting screwed over? You obviously don't hold your life any higher than cheap parlor tricks, so why should I? And another thing; why, oh why, are you making it your job to involve me? If Caleb thinks it would be okay to leave me be, then who's to say he's wrong?"

"He's not always right." Reid snapped irritably; the phone had already dropped back into his fisted palm.

"Oh come on, Reid! You've got me, all right? I'm in it 'til the end whether I like it or not, so just level with me. Answer my questions or just give me my damn phone." Her hair had flown about her shoulders so that now the dark tresses curled haphazardly around her neck. Her cheeks were flushed a soft rose red, her lips slightly tinged in the cold and darkness. Her dark brown eyes shined beadily in the lamp light provided by the security pole in the parking lot. She appeared dangerous, but at her last admission, her entire body deflated so that she was only an exhausted, emotionally spent, young girl, ready to curl into the dark abyss of sleep and disappear from the world.

Reid's own phone buzzed to life in his front jacket pocket. He stared at her only a moment longer before pulling the device out and glaring at the bright blue screen. He only needed to read over the words once to understand the message. He opted to read them a second time just to be sure. Shaking the hair from his face, Reid smiled sheepishly at Evelyn whilst slipping his phone back in his pocket.

"Fair enough." He tossed her back her phone which she caught easily between both her hands.

He kept his gaze on the gravel beneath his feet as he rounded the car back to the driver's side and unlocked both doors. Evelyn watched him warily. But when he slipped into the seat, closed the door, and the engine roared to life, Evelyn quickly opened her door to slip inside as well.

It was going to be five in the morning. She almost didn't want to ask.

"What happened?" She questioned after buckling herself in.

Reid tightened his own seat belt, threw the gear in reverse, turned to her and smiled dangerously.

"Your cousin has a knack for getting into trouble."

And just like that, sleep vanished from her immediate schedule altogether.

"You sure you're in this?" Reid asked her, observing her thoughts as they visibly crossed her face.

Her eyes lifted to his and he knew the answer. '_'Til the end_,' she had said. He was certain they'd be able to hammer out the details to that proclamation at a later time. Until then, they had a girl to rescue and a warlock to take down.


	20. Author's Note

4/25/2012

Hey there all!

This is just a little note to address the unsigned reviewers requesting I write more for this story. Officially, _Our Bond_ is concluded, though I'm coming around to the idea of writing a little more for the characters as individual short stories. I'm not sure if I'll do a complete sequel yet. I may be entering a demanding full time job soon and it wouldn't be fair to you lovely readers if I made then fell through on that kind of commitment.

But keep an eye out for my new works because I am definitely fixing to write more about Reid and Evelyn. So much is left unsaid between them, how could I not? ;)

Thank you so much to everyone who has come this far. It means so much to me that you gave my OC's and their story a chance.

-shadowcat


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